*  - 


H 


Six  YEAES  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 


SOUTH  AMEBICA. 


BY 


REV.  O.  VON  BARCIIWITZ-KRAUSER. 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR,  BY 

MCDONALD  &  GILL, 

OFFICE  OF  TIIK  CHIUSTIAK  WITNESS,  36  BROMFIELD  ST., 

BOSTON,  MASS. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1885,  by 

O.  VON  BARCHWITZ-KRAUSER, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


INTRODUCTION. 


STEAMSHIP  "!LO,"  PACIFIC  OCEAN,) 
August,  1885.  J 

FOE  some  time  it  has  been  my  wish  to  tell  the  friends 
of  Bishop  Taylor,  and  those  interested  in  the  progress 
of  his  "  Self-supporting  Missions,"  what  God  has  done 
for  me,  while  I  was  so  privileged  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  Chili,  South  America.  The  time  seems  to  have  come 
now,  and  although  on  board  the  steamer,  yet  it  seems 
to  be  the  proper  time  to  say  something  on  the  subject. 
My  heart  is  so  full,  and  I  must  unburden  myself  to  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God,  as  I  trust  it  may  be.  Of 
course  I  was  looking  for  a  beginning;  but  so  many 
thoughts  of  difficulties  crowded  into  my  mind,  which,  in- 
deed, seemed  to  baffle  my  intention  from  the  beginning. 
One  fact  seemed  to  trouble  me  much,  and  this  was : 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

"You  can't  write  in  English,  —  you  have  never  studied 
that  language,  and  you  know  nothing  of  the  grammar 
and  —  you  might  do  in  speaking  it,  but  to  write  in 
English,  —  you  had  better  not  do  it."  In  all  this  I 
seemed  to  hear  a  whisper,  and  that  whisper  I  did  not 
like ;  I  thought  I  recognized  the  cloven  foot,  and  the 
voice  of  the  infernal  one.  So  I  knelt  in  prayer,  and 
then  the  Comforter  came,  and  a  voice  seemed  to  say : 
"  Write ;  I  will  bless  thee.  Write  as  best  you  can." 
Then  the  thought  came  to  me :  "  There  is  so  much  said 
just  now  about  Bishop  Taylor  and  'Self-supporting 
Missions,'  that  it  might  appear  to  be  in  time,  if  I,  too, 
would  say  something  of  what  God  has  done  in  Chili,  to 
help  along  the  cause,  and,  above  all,  glorify  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.  This  being  my  sole  object,  this 
little  work  will,  in  every  other  respect,  be  quite  unpre- 
tending. 

Now,  in  reading  over  what  I  have  just  written,  I  see 
that  this  might  stand  so,  and  answer  as  an  introduc- 
tion. In  the  name  of  my  Redeemer  I  shall  go  on, 
earnestly  praying  that  the  richest  of  blessings  may  at- 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

tend  the  reading  of  this  little  book,  and  that  the  Sav- 
iour may  be  glorified  in  the  face  of  all  who  wish  to 
know  how  God  blesses  those  who  will  trust  Him  for  all 
things,  and  how  He  blessed  me  and  kept  me,  soul  and 
body,  during  the  six  years  of  self-supporting  labor  for 

Him. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
MY  CALL,  AND  WORK  AS  AN  EVANGELIST  IK  NORTH  AMERICA. 

Pushed  out  on  a  self-supporting  basis — A  church  in  great 
distress  — Holiness  preaching  —  How  the  Lord  sends  the 
supplies  .----.-___  11 

CHAPTER  II. 
SUMMER  AND  HARVEST-TIME  REVIVALS. 

A  remarkable  answer  to  prayer  —  A  blind  man  with  good 
eyes  —  A  wonderful  experience  —  He  careth  for  us  — 
Midnight  grace  —  An  experience  in  selecting  a  text  — 
How  the  Lord  slew  a  Goliath  —  Filling  out  a  number  of 
blank  checks  —  Martin  Luther's  ink-bottle  —  a  compar- 
ison -. 37 

CHAPTER  IIL 

MY  FIRST  MEETING  WITH  BISHOP  TAYLOR  IN  1879.  —  DAYTON 
CAMP-MEETING. 

A  visit  to  the  place  of  my  birth  —  His  grace  all-sufficient  — 
Struck  in  the  face;  glory  and  praise  —  In  a  prison  —  Jus- 
tification and  entire  sanctification  inside  of  fifteen  minutes,  65 

CHAPTER  IV. 

MY  CALL  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA.  —  A  LETTER  AND  A  VISIT  FROM 
FATHER  TAYLOR. 

A  visit  from  William  Taylor  —  Leaving  for  South  America  — 
The  first  revival  in  South  America  —  Life  on  the  Isthmus 
—  On  the  great  Pacific  —  First  money  earned  in  Chili  — 
Bro.  Smith  preaches  to  the  natives  -  82 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTEK  V. 

ON  THE  BOKDEBS  OF  NORTHERN  PATAGONIA. 

Landing  on  the  field  of  battle  —  My  first  German  sermon  — 
The  colony  on  Lake  Llanquihue  —  How  my  landsmen 
live  —  The  new  idea  :  a  holy  man  —  First  signs  of  oppo- 
sition —  Their  forlorn  condition  —  A  conference  -  -  100 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  WOKK  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

The  first  convert  —  Taken  prisoner  —  A  missionary's  pleasant 
trip  to  a  wedding  —  The  conversion  of  ten  children  —  A 
Roman  Catholic  family  converted  to  God  —  A  trying 
change  —*A.  sure  way  to  get  bad  roads  repaired  -  -  118 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  CHANGE  TO  THE  CITY. 

A  wonderful  deliverance  on  horseback  —  In  Osorno  —  My 
first  funeral  sermon  —  Preaching  to  natives  —  Among 
the  children  —  Polite  with  dogs  -  -  140 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

MY  CALL,  TO  VALPARAISO.  —  LEAVING  THE  COLONIES. 
Good  common  sense       --         --         ---.          157 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  RICH  MINE  DISCOVERED.  —  GOING  TO  WORK. 

Prayer-meeting  in  a  bar-room  —  Shot  behind  the  counter  — 
Collared  by  a  woman  —  The  main-top  —  How  God  saved 
a  rum-seller  —  A  remarkable  conversion  —  Good  for  a 
beginning  —  Native  work  —  A  native  converted  —  The 
priests  after  me  ------.._  IQ% 

CHAPTER  X. 
IN  THE  HOTBED  OF  VICE  AND  CRIME. 

A  dancing-house  proprietor  in  close  quarters  —  How  to  man- 
age — Attempt  to  cut  his  throat  —  Hunting  souls  — A  ter- 
rible death  ------.___  jS 


CONTENTS.  9 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  XL 
TIMES  OF  SPECIAL,  VISITATION. 

An  aged  drunkard  converted  —  Organization  of  a  Good  Tem- 
plars' Lodge  —  A  Sailors'  Home  is  called  into  being  —  An 
ex-rum-seller  becomes  the  administrator  of  the  Sailor's 
Home  —  Opinions  of  some  ship-masters  —  A  street  meet- 
ing in  front  of  a  brothel  —  A  bit  of  advice  —  How  I  paid 
a  debt  —  Tobacco  experiences  —  Prayer  on  a  jibboom  — 
In  the  jaws  of  death  —  Deciding  for  Christ  on  the  gang- 
way —  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out  196 

CHAPTER  XII. 

IN  THE  FlEEY  FURNACE  WITH  JESUS. — UNEXPECTED 
CHANGES. 

The  Gospel  for  the  natives  —  Shadows  of  the  valley  —  A 
struggle  for  light  —  My  German  Methodist  Church  —  A 
trip  -o  the  old  "  Vaterland"  —  One  taken,  the  other  left 

—  The  Methodists  in  Uruguay  and  the  Argentine  Repub- 
lic—  Rio  Janerio  —  Thirteen  years  ago  an  infidel  —  Days 

of  power  hi  England        _-.-...         223 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

ACROSS  THE  CHANNEL,  HOMEWARD  BOUND.  —  THE 
REVIVAL,  IN  GERMANY. 

Heaviest  trials  and  brightest  sunshine  —  My  children,  both 
gone  to  be  with  Jesus  —  At  the  grave  of  my  sainted 
mother  —  Preaching  in  Berlin  —  The  power  of  love  — 
A  remarkable  feature  —  Confession  of  sin  —  A  daughter 
brings  home  her  wandering  parents  —  Ashamed  of  Christ 

—  The  experience  of  a  dressmaker  —  Snatched  from  the 
burning  —  Satan  on  development  —  A  remarkable  experi- 
ence in  fasting        --         -         -         -_--          242 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
EAST  PRUSSIA.  —  THE  ANCIENT  CITY  OF  THE  KINGS. 

In  the  right  spirit  — A  Methodist  old-fashioned  meeting  — 
Rioters  made  friends  —  The  day  of  Pentecost  had  fully 
come —  The  ancient  city  of  the  Kings  — Kant's  city  -  270 


10  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MY  RETURN  TO  CHILI,  TAKING  WITH  ME  A  GERMAN 
COLONY. 

The  father  of  a  large  family  of  big  "  little  ones  "  —  Crossing 
the  Coast-Cordillera  —  The  new  Colony  —  Settling  the 
Colonists  in  their  new  homes —  The  needs  of  Valparaiso 

—  Divine  services  at  the  Colonies         -         -  284 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  FUTUKE  OF  CHILI. — SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE  LAND 
AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

Needed  workers — Bishop  Taylor's  mountain  goats        -       -         296 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
MY  PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE.  — WONDERFUL  SALVATION. 

Early  religious  training  —  The  influence  of  my  mother's  life 

—  My  infidelity  shaken  —  trying  to  get  away  from  God  — 
A  broken-hearted  mother — In  America  —  Sick  and  in 
rags  —  Light  from  Calvary's  cross  —  A  personal    fight 
with  Satan  —  The  terribleness  of  sin  —  The  discovery  of 
a  hidden  enemy — The  repression  theory  —  The  disap- 
pointment —  A  prisoner  gives  me  the  "  Guide  to  Holiness  " 

— A  real  inwrought  holiness      -----        -         310 


CHAPTER  I. 

MY  CALL  AND  WORK  AS  AN  EVANGELIST  IN  NORTH 
AMERICA. 

THE  following  extracts  are  from  my  journal,  which 
I  have  kept  from  the  day  on  which  God  called  me  to 
preach  the  Gospel  as  an  evangelist,  and  long  before  I 
knew  anything  about  William  Taylor  and  his  work. 

I  read  there  the  following  :  — 

Indianapolis^  May  18,  1878.  —  On  the  18th  of  May, 
1878,  after  earnest  prayer,  I  felt  called  to  go  and  preach 
the  Gospel.  When  the  Lord  saved  me  from  the  jaws 
of  death,  and  converted  me  so  wonderfully  in  1874,  I 
promised  Him  that  I  would  preach  the  Gospel.  To-day 
Jesus  came  to  claim  me  and  take  me  at  my  word.  I 
immediately  left  my  occupation,  and  on  speaking  to  a 
dear  brother  —  G.  Haines  —  about  it,  he  told  me  that 
the  Lord  had  also  much  impressed  him  for  days,  and 
that  he  had  much  thought  about  what  the  Saviour  did 
when  he  sent  out  His  apostles,  "  two  by  two."  "  I  was 

waiting  for  some  more  definite  instructions  from  the 

11 


12  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

Lord,"  said  Bro.  H.,  "  when  you  just  stepped  in,  and  I 
believe  the  Lord  would  have  us  start  out  together." 

We  rejoiced  to  be  thus  confirmed  concerning  the 
will  of  God,  and,  kneeling  in  prayer,  we  consecrated 
ourselves  anew  to  God,  waiting  to  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  the  work  that  was  set  before  us.  Oh, 
that  precious  hour !  How  can  we  ever  forget  it ! 
There  was  no  more  fear ;  if  there  had  been  any  as  to 
the  certainty  that  God  had  called  us  to  go  out,  it  was 
certainly  gone  now.  It  was  a  moment  of  great  import- 
ance to  us.  We  felt  it  deeply,  and  our  humiliation  was 
complete.  If  ever  we  felt  our  own  weakness,  it  was' 
now ;  but  God,  our  strength,  appeared,  —  the  Lion  of 
Judah  on  our  side  we  felt,  and  were  safe. 

At  12.40  p.  M.,  the  same  day,  we  left  for  Z .  In 

the  train  we  talked  together,  and  recounted  the  deal- 
ings of  God  with  us  in  the  days  gone  by,  and  we  found 
to  our  great  satisfaction  and  joy  that  the  Lord  did  not 
send  us  on  short  notice ;  but  that  He  had  tried  and 
sifted  us  quite  thoroughly  in  preparation  for  this  dis- 
tinct call ;  and  no  wonder  that  when  it  came  we  were 
found  ready  to  say,  "  Lord,  here  am  I,  send  me." 

PUSHED  OUT  ON  A  SELF-SUPPORTING  BASIS 
Next  came  up  a  question  which  neither  one  of  us  had 
thought  of  until  now,  and  that  was  our  support ;  to  be 
sure  it  did  not  come  to  us  as  if  it  were  questionable, 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  13 

although  with  some  good  people  the  devil  gets  a  start 
on  them  thus  far ;  but  it  came  in  the  shape  of  a  joyful 
thought,  to  be  "  privileged  "  to  trust  the  Lord  and  never 
to  ask  help ;  and  next,  never  to  take  up  ,a  collection. 
It  took  bnt  a  few  moments  to  skip  over  that  ground, 
and  \ve  were  floating  away  in  the  land  of  perfect  trust 
on  that  line. 

Bro.  H.,  with  a  beaming  face,  told  me  then  that  he 
had  but  very  little  of  the  (to  some  people)  eye-blinding 
or  all-engrossing  shining  metal.  I,  being  in  possession 
of  only  forty  cents,  did  not  say  a  word,  for  fear  (not 
the  ashamed  kind),  of  shouting  outright  in  the  cars. 
The  Lord  gave  me  plainly  to  understand,  on  starting 
out,  that  He  would  have  me  go  on  the  apostolic  line  of 
self-support,  the  "  faith  line,"  as  regards  personal  sup- 
port, —  traveling  expenses,  clothing,  etc.  The  Lord 
gave  me  a  "  blank  check  "  to  all  His  provision  stores, 
clothing-houses  and  hotels.  I  felt  that  I  need  only  fill 
out  the  check  and  draw  on  Him  for  all  my  necessities. 
When  this  was  pressed  into  my  hand,  it  seemed  tan- 
gible, and  tears  ran  down  my  cheeks ;  and  silently  I 
pressed  the  hand  of  my  Bro.  H.,  who  sat  at  my  side, 
drinking,  as  it  appeared,  at  "  the  fountain  deep  and 
wide." 

As  yet,  we  did  not  know  how  the  Lord  would  lead  us 

on  our  way  to  the  people  of  Z .  Indeed,  we  could 

not  arrive  at  a  definite  plan,  and  had  to  give  it  up,  be- 


14 

cause  the  train  had  just  stopped ;  and,  leaving  the  depot, 
as  by  common  consent,  we  made  for  the  woods,  which 
looked  so  inviting  to  us,  at  a  little  distance  before.  We 
concluded  that  there  was  the  place  for  us  to  have  a  lit- 
tle conference  with  the  Lord — the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost.  It  was  not  long  before  we  knew  the 
triune  God  had  come  "  our  souls  to  greet,"  and,  there 
in  the  woods,  "glory  crowned  the  mercy-seat."  (It 
struck  me  then  that  some  people  don't  know  that,  ac- 
cording to  circumstances,  the  Father  moves  the  mercy- 
seat  into  the  woods.) 

When  we  arose,  Bro.  H.  had  his  instruction.  Look- 
ing at  me  he  said  :  "  Bro.  Krauser,  I  remember  having 
heard  the  name  of  the  preacher  in  charge  in  this  place, 
and  if  this  is  Bro.  C.,  with  whom  I  traveled  fifteen 
years  ago  on  the  same  circuit,  we  shall  have  no  trouble 
to  get  a  place  for  our  meetings,  and  get  the  people,  too." 

We  went  straight  to  the  house  of  the  preacher,  hav- 
ing inquired  of  some  one  in  the  street  as  to  its  location ; 
but  it  was  the  house  of  the  local  preacher,  who  told  us 
he  thought  it  the  wrong  season  of  the  year  for  pro- 
tracted meetings.  We  told  him  that  we  had  received 
marching  orders,  and  that  we  did  not  believe  the  Lord 
had  made  such  a  mistake  as  to  send  us  in  the  wrong 
season  of  the  year;  but  knowing  the  history  of  "re- 
vivals in  their  season,"  on  the  whole  we  did  not  mind 
what  our  good  brother  had  to  say,  but  begged  him 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  15 

kindly,  to  conduct  us  to  the  house  of  Bro.  C.,  which 
the  man  did.  We  soon  found  Bro.  C.'s,  the  door  opened, 
and  the  recognition  of  my  partner  and  Bro.  C.  was  mu- 
tual. They  were,  indeed,  old  acquaintances.  The 
house  was  at  once  put  in  shape  to  keep  us  for  a  few 
days,  and  arrangements  made  for  what  was  to  be  the 
first  meeting  on  our  evangelistic  tour,  and  of  course  we 
were  hopefully  looking  forward  and  upward  to  God  to 
put  His  seal  upon  this,  our  first  effort  to  save  souls. 

Bro.  C.  had  made  us  aware  of  the  sad  fact  that  it 
was  a  "  stronghold  of  infidelity,"  so  Bro.  H.  announced 
a  "temperance  meeting"  for  to-morrow  (Saturday) 
night.  The  rest  of  the  day  we  spent  in  prayer  and 
reading  the  Scriptures. 

Saturday  evening,  May  19.  —  My  heart  is  lifted  up  to 
God.  My  soul  rejoiceth  in  God  my  Saviour  for  this 
night's  work.  Bro.  H.  got  off  his  temperance  speech. 
The  place  was  crowded,  and  the  moment  seemed  to 
have  come  to  preach  the  Gospel  before  closing  the  meet- 
ing. The  Lord  blessed  me  in  delivering  my  message, 
and  strong  conviction  was  produced,  as  could  be  noticed 
if  one  but  for  a  moment  looked  over  that  congregation. 
At  the  close  I  gave  out  meetings  for  the  following  day, 
which  was  Sunday.  Three  meetings  were  to  be  held  — 
at  10.30  A.  M.,  2.  30  P.  M.  (Gospel  temperance  meeting), 
and  7.30  p.  M.,  (preaching).  After  the  meeting  many 


16  SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOE, 

came  to  me,  and  with  tears,  confessed  how  they  had 
backslidden,  and  some  said  that  they  would  like  to  be 
converted  to  God.  The  spirit  of  the  meeting  seemed 
to  have  taken  them  unawares,  —  they  appeared  to  be 
confounded  and  confessed  that  to-night  they  were  not 
ready.  Poor  souls !  They  then  expressed  a  wish  that 
we  would  remain,  and  that  the  Lord  in  mercy  might 
lead  them  to  repentance  unto  life.  God  grant  it. 
Amen. 

Sunday,  20th  (evening).  —  What  a  glorious  day! 
Early  in  the  morning  we  retired  to  the  woods,  and  there 
talked  with  God  until  it  was  time  to  open  the  church. 
I  had  selected  for  my  text  the  words  in  Ex.  xii.  13. 
How  the  beams  from  Calvary's  cross  laid  open  before 
me  the  unspeakable  wisdom  of  God,  as  revealed  to  me 
in  the  "  great  book  "  I  A  storm  was  brewing,  and  every- 
body seemed  to  feel  that  soon  a  "  break "  must  take 
place,  and  we  were  looking  forward  in  faith  and  hope. 
No  altar  work  had  yet  been  introduced;  but  it  was 
soon  to  come. 

The  afternoon  meeting  was  one  of  great  power.  Bro. 
H.  preached  a  Gospel  temperance  sermon.  Oh,  how  the 
power  of  darkness  strove  against  light  I  I  remarked  to 
Bro.  C.  that  I  had  never  before  felt  such  an  opposing 
power  prevail  in  the  very  atmosphere.  It  seemed  he 
had  felt  it,  too.  But  one  soul  found  rest  after  a  hard 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  17 

struggle  for  freedom.  A  drunkard  came  and  yielded 
himself  up,  and  also  signed  the  pledge.  The  poor  wife, 
who  was  sitting  in  the  church,  could  not  contain  herself 
longer ;  she  arose,  and  coming  up  to  the  altar,  fell  about 
the  neck  of  her  husband  and  both  wept  tears  of  joy. 
It  was  a  heart-melting  time,  and  God  was  using  this 
to  melt  the  hearts  of  some  who  had  become  hardened. 

In  the  evening  service,  two  stood  up  for  prayers. 
Step  by  step,  the  ground  had  to  be  taken ;  indeed,  the 
stronghold  of  infidelity  had  to  be  assailed. 

On  Monday,  one  sister  came  forward  to  the  altar,  and 
arose,  praising  the  Lord  for  salvation  found.  Tuesday 
morning  we  retired  again  to  the  woods,  and  the  Lord 
gave  us  a  precious  baptism  of  power,  and  as  we  had  an- 
nounced meetings  to  be  held  during  this  entire  week, 
and  three  meetings  a  day,  we  opened  to-day  at  10  A.  M., 
and  preached  on  Christian  perfection. 

It  was  evident  what  was  wrong  in  that  church,  and 
to-day  it  should  not  only  be  revealed,  but  the  hurt  was 
to  be  healed.  While  I  preached  to  the  members  of  the 
church,  Bro.  II.  went  into  one  corner  of  the  church  and 
there  hid  himself  with  God,  and  stayed  during  the  en- 
tire service,  and  only  came  when  the  altar  was  crowded 
with  seekers,  to  work  among  them.  Among  the  seekers 
ofter  holiness,  was  the  pastor  of  that  church  and  his 
wife.  The  dear  brother  had  been  preaching  for  thirty 


18  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

years,  but  arose  and  confessed,  that  such  manifestations 
he  had  never  beheld  before  ;  and  with  holy  joy,  and  the 
imprint  of  a  heavenly,  perfect  peace,  beaming  from  his 
face,  both  he  and  his  wife  confessed  to  have  obtained 
the  blessing  of  a  pure  heart. 

Ten  days  we  stayed  in  that  town,  and  the  blessings 
that  now  followed  may  easily  be  imagined.  Several 
were  freed  from  the  power  of  sin  —  of  unbelief  —  and 
the  tower  of  the  infidel  was  undermined ;  and  the  best 
of  all,  our  Bro.  C.  was  now  prepared  to  go  011  with  his 
work,  and  we  hope  his  church  to-day  is  flourishing. 

Now,  all  this  time  we  had  not  been  asked,  "  Who  sup- 
ports you  ?  "  but  as  they  had  found  out  who  sent  us,  we 
had  no  doubt  but  that  the  same  would  give  us  the 
money  we  needed  to  continue  our  journey.  We  also 
had  not  said  a  word  to  anybody  on  that  subject,  —  nor 
did  we  take  up  any  collections.  We  had  told  Bro.  C. 

that  the  next  town,  about  five  miles  distant  —  W. 

—  we  had  chosen  for  our  field  of  operation.  lie  begged 
us  to  desist  from  it,  and  change  our  plan,  and  gave  as 
his  reason  for  advising  us  thus,  that  the  poor  brother 
who  had  been  in  charge  of  the  church  there  up  to  only 
a  few  weeks  ago,  and  who  once  enjoyed  the  grace  of 
God,  had  sadly  fallen,  and  the  whole  church  was  on  the 
point  of  dissolving  membership;  and  that  the  few  re- 
maining faithful  ones  were  completely  discouraged. 
We  were  quiet  —  not  saying  a  word;  but  before  start- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  19 

ing  for  the  railway  station  we  once  more  made  for  our 
favorite  spot  in  the  woods,  where  the  Saviour  so  often 
had  met  and  communed  with  us,  and  told  Mm  all  about 

W .     The    more  we  prayed,  the  more  we  became 

certain  of  going  to  that  place.  It  had  become  evident 
to  us  that  the  poor  people  in  "W had  been  quite  for- 
saken, and  in  their  extreme  distress  had  not  had  the 
comfort  of  Christian  counsel.  However,  God  remem- 
bered His  church  in  "W ,  for  He  had  yet  a  few 

there,  who  had  not  bowed  their  knees  to  Baal. 

A  CHURCH  rsr  GREAT  DISTRESS. 

We  hurried  back  to  Bro.  C.  and  told  him  we  had  or- 
ders to  proceed  at  once  to  W .  He  bade  us  God- 
speed, and  we  departed.  I  took  my  very  small  hand- 
satchel,  and  felt  in  my  pocket  for  the  forty  cents ;  — 
just  ten  cents  lacking  to  pay  a  five-mile  fare.  I  felt  I 
could  not  ask  Bro.  II.  to  help  me  out ;  and,  besides,  I 
knew  he  had  but  enough  for  himself ;  and  yet  I  knew  I 
was  to  take  that  train  that  was  to  come  around  the  bend 
in  about  ten  minutes. 

"While  Bro.  G.  was  talking  with  some  one  on  the 
street,  I  hurried  on  to  the  depot,  deposited  my  satchel 
with  the  ticket-agent,  telling  him  that  I  would  be  back 
in  a  few  minutes,  and  opening  the  back  door,  I  looked 
for  a  place  to  pray  once  more  to  God ;  but  finding  an 
open  space,  I  remained  standing  in  the  open  door,  and 


20  SIX  YEARS   WETH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

crossing  my  hands  behind  me,  I  bowed  my /head  in 
prayer  to  Him  who  had  told  me  that  He  would  supply 
all  my  needs.  I  filled  then  and  there  a  blank  check, 
and  presented  it  at  His  bank.  I  drew  on  it  for  only  ten 
cents ;  it  was  all  I  needed  at  the  time.  Suddenly  I  felt 
some  one  taking  hold  of  my  hands  behind  me ;  and, 
making  an  effort  to  turn,  I  beheld  Bro.  C.,  the  preacher 

of  Z ,  and  at  the  same  time  I  felt  him  pressing 

something  hard  into  my  hands.  With  tears  in  my  eyes 
I  opened  the  hand,  and  in  it  was  a  bright  new  fifty-cent 
piece  of  silver,  —  to  pay  my  fare,  the  brother  said  —  and 
"  I  felt  you  needed  something,  and  so  I  ran  down  before 
the  train  came  to  give  it  to  you  —  and  —  there  it  comes 
now ;  run  and  get  your  ticket !  "  I  had  no  time  to  say 
a  word  —  I  only  ran  and  got  my  ticket.  Bro.  H.  got 
his  just  then,  too.  We  got  into  the  car,  and  with  a 
hasty  "  good-by  "  and  "  God  bless  you, "  the  train  started 
off  again.  This  whole  transaction  took  place  in  just 
the  shortest  possible  time,  so  that  not  until  the  train 
had  started  did  I  begin  to  draw  breath  and  look  over 
the  situation.  It  was  a  most  pleasant  one  to  be  in, 
to  be  sure;  and,  praise  the  Lord,  I  could  say,  with 
all  my  heart,  God  had  again  sent  us.  Amen !  I  had 
asked  for  ten  cdnts,  but  the  Lord  sweetly  humbled  me 
by  sending  me  fifty. 

In  the  cars  I  opened  my  satchel  to  arrange  some 
things,  and  found  that  Sister  C.  had  put  in  one  new 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  21 

shirt  and  some  other  little  things,  she  thought  I  needed. 
The  Lord  knew  I  had  but  two  shirts,  and  one  of  these 
I  wore  at  the  time.  Now,  I  thought,  it  is  so  sweet,  and 
such  a  wonderful  privilege  thus  to  trust  Jesus.  We 
sang,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want." 
>.'(»,  not  any  good  thing  will  He  withhold  from  them  that 
trust  Him ;  how  much  more,  then,  shall  He  not  withhold 
the  things  we  need. 

Saturday  it  was  when  we  arrived  in  "VV .  We 

called  at  once  on  Bro.  L,  who  was  one  of  the  officials. 
Found  him  much  discouraged,  indeed,  and,  like  a  drown- 
ing man,  he  took  hold  of  this  opportunity  of  reviving 
the  church.  Indeed,  he  was  a  faithful  officer.  We 
again  retired  to  the  solitude  of  a  pine-tree  forest,  close 
at  hand,  and  made  our  plans  before  the  Lord,  and  His 
blessing  attended  us. 

That  same  evening  we  opened  the  church  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  at  the  close  of  the  meeting  we  announced  three 
meetings  for  the  morrow  —  Sabbath.  A  few  trembling 
brothers  and  sisters  hadtdared  to  come  out.  Also  a  few 
from  the  Lutheran  church,  who,  however,  manifested  a 
considerable  amount  of  earnest  enmity  and  jealousy; 
for  they,  being  afraid  that  the  church  might  build  up, 
threatened  to  burn  the  building  if  we  continued  preach- 
ing. We  did  not  fear,  but  met  again  for  service  at 
10.30  A.  M.  on  Sunday. 

13ro.   Haines  preached  to   a  filled  house.      Thank 


22  SIX  YEARS   WITH    WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

God,  the  people  came  out  to  hear,  although  sneered  at 
by  many  standing  outside,  and  crowding  the  door,  who 
dared  not  come  in.  The  season  was  one  of  great  power. 
After  preaching,  Bro.  H.  asked  me  to  exhort  the  people 
to  come  to  the  altar  and  seek  the  Lord ;  and  the  disheart 
ened,  or  backslidden,  to  come  and  meet  with  us  in  ear- 
nest prayer.  The  Lord  blessed  this  invitation,  and  sev- 
enteen persons  came  forward  !  all  seeking  the  Saviour. 
Bro.  II.  had  preached  from  Rev.  xxii.  14,  and  it  seemed 
the  tree  of  life  was  spreading  its  branches  to  receive  the 
church  back  under  its  protecting  shadow.  What  a 
meeting  !  It  is  true,  bitter  tears  of  repentance  flowed 
then,  but  it  was  a  repentance  not  to  be  repented  of,  and 
two  precious  souls  found  the  Lord,  and  soon  were 
praising  Him  aloud  for  His  goodness  and  mercy.  An- 
other struggled  hard,  and  truly  in  pity  the  Lord  must 
have  looked  down  upon  that  poor  woman,  for  she  was  a 
great  sinner,  and  she  would  not  let  go  the  Lord  until 
He  had  blessed  her.  Surely  such  determination  will 
meet  with  a  determined  Saviour,. 

In  the  afternoon  I  preached  from  Isaiah  ix. :  "  The 
Wonderful."  Three  persons  again  came  forward,  and 
gave  themselves  to  Jesus. 

The  town  was  stirred  thoroughly  by  this  time.  The 
Lord  evidently  meant  business,  and  would  build  up 
that  church  in  spite  of  Satan  and  his  agents. 

Bro.  Haines  preached  in  the  evening  on  "  Eternal 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  23 

Life,"  and  I  followed  with  a  few  words  from  Exodus : 
"  Stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord."  Two 
persons  came  to  the  altar  for  prayers,  and  while  they 
were  praying  for  deliverance,  a  sister  stood  up  in  the 
congregation  and  declared  that  now,  this  moment,  Jesus 
saved  her  from  her  sins. 

HOLINESS  PREACHING. 

This  meeting  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  that  we 
have  had  in  this  church.  Tongues  failed  to  express  it 
during  the  meeting.  Holiness  as  a  definite  blessing 
subsequent  to  conversion  was  now  preached,  and  this 
seemed  to  be  striking  the  keynote  and  lifting  the  dear 
people  up  and  out  of  the  misery  of  a  half-consecrated 
life.  The  reason  why  the  Lord  had  permitted  them  to 
be  so  sadly  tried  during  the  past,  and  why  it  seemed  as 
though  all  hope  was  cut  off,  was  made  clear  to  all.  The 
testimony  of  a  blood-washed  throng  of  seven  precious 
souls  rang  up  to  heaven  in  one  great  hallelujah  to  God. 
The  very  foundation  of  the  church  in  which  we  were 
pleading  with  God  for  never-dying  souls,  seemed  to 
quiver  and  tremble  because  of  power  flooding  the  hearts 
of  those  precious  brethren.  Most  had  left,  on  that  day, 
their  work  out  in  the  field,  wanting  only  to  settle  the 
question  with  the  "  Mighty  to  save."  Oh,  that  day  !  a 
day  never  to  be  forgotten  in  the  annals  of  that  church. 
Here  are  some  of  their  testimonies  :  — 


24  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

SISTER  L. :  The  blessed  Jesus  saves  me  now,  this 
moment.  Yes,  He; doth  give  me  a  clean  heart;  I  know 
it  now.  Amen. 

SISTER  R.,  an  aged  sister:  I  have  served  God  accord- 
ing to  the  best  of  my  knowledge ;  but  oh,  I  never  saw 
in  all  these  years  such  wonderful  light  as  at  present.  I 
always  knew  and  felt  there  was  something  better  for  me 
than  what  I  had ;  but  I  never  found  just  how  to  attain 
to  such  an  experience  as  I  possess  now.  Thanks  be  to 
God,  to-day  I  see  it  plain,  and  now  Jesus  has  released 
me  from  sin,  and  all  fear  is  gone,  and  I  know  He  saves 
me  fully.  Oh,  what  sweet  peace  has  come  to  my  soul ! 
Now  it  is  all  glory,  glory,  glory !  (This  sister,  while 
pleading  at  the  altar  with  her  Saviour,  seemed  to  have 
left  the  body  for  a  time ;  then  suddenly  her  face  began 
to  shine,  as  it  were  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun. 
Just  then  I  looked  at  her  face,  and  I  seemed  unable  to 
take  my  eyes  off.  I  never  saw  such  a  glory  upon  a 
child  of  God  before.  She  then  clapped  her  hands  and 
said  softly,  "  Oh,  Jesus,  Jesus,  blessed  Jesus !  "  Oh,  how 
my  soul  magnified  the  Lord  to  be  permitted  to  see  the 
works  of  the  Lord,  who  saved  also  me ;  whose  precious 
blood  had  also  reached  my  own  heart,  and  proved  suffi- 
cient even  in  my  case.  I  wept  and  laughed  in  turns  be- 
cause of  joy.) 

Next  a  Lutheran  sister  —  Sister  E.  —  got  up  and  said : 
I  have  served  God,  or  have  been  trying  to  serve  Him,  for 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  25 

many  years ;  but  ever  since  my  conversion  I  have  been 
troubled  with  an  unsacrificing  spirit.  It  seemed  a  cross 
to  testify  for  Christ.  Soon  I  discovered  other  besetting 
sins.  But  now  God  has  delivered  me,  and  also  cut  loose 
my  tongue.  Now  I  shall  praise  God  as  long  as  I  live, 
for  this  is  new  life  I  have  received.  Now,  pray  for  my 
children,  that  they  also  may  be  saved. 

BRO.  K. :  I  have  known  God  many  years.  God  con- 
verted me  and  pardoned  the  sins  of  my  past  life ; 
and  I  have  enjoyed  many  seasons  of  rich  blessing.  To- 
day, dear  brethren,  I  have  got  something  I  have  never 
had  before  —  a  clean  heart.  Jesus  sets  me  entirely  free. 
Oh,  praise  God  for  a  complete  deliverance  from  all  sin ! 
I  am  now  entirely  His  property. 

BRO.  S. :  God  has  kept  me  through  all  the  storms  of 
the  last  war,  and  then  it  was  that  I  promised  the  Lord 
that  I  would  serve  Him  if  I  should  be  spared  long 
enough.  Long  afterwards,  not  far  from  the  spot  where 
I  now  stand,  I  gave  my  heart  to  Jesus.  I  served  Him 
the  best  I  knew  how ;  but  when  walking  behind  the 
plow  in  the  field,  if  the  horses  would  not  go  just  right, 
I  would  often  "fly  off."  Many  times  I  was  on  the 
mountain-top,  and  next  down  again  in  the  valley.  I 
felt  it  to  be  a  constant  struggle,  that  seemed  to  be  not 
of  the  right  kind ;  and  then,  when  walking  behind  that 
plow,  it  would  strike  some  hidden  root,  which  caused 
the  horses  to  be  jerked  back ;  and  while  trying  to  clear 


26  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

the  plow  the  poor  animals  would  step  over  the  traces. 
Before  getting  them  back  I  would  "  fly  off  "  and  get  an- 
gry with  the  old  stump,  whip  the  horses,  and  then  hide 
behind  some  tree  in  shame,  and  in  tears  ask  God  to  for- 
give me.  There  was  something  wrong.  I  see  it  to-day. 
I  never  had  heard  of  this  doctrine  before,  —  this  per- 
fect love  —  heart  purity ;  although  I  longed  for  some- 
thing like  it ;  but  to-day  this  talk  just  fitted  me.  I  saw 
the  light,  and  a  clean  heart  I  must  have  ;  and  thanks  be 
to  God,  Jesus  cleanses  me  now  from  all  sin,  —  takes 
away  everything  contrary  to  Himself.  I  can  now  fully 
trust  Him  to  keep  me  from  falling.  (This  brother 
wrote  afterwards  to  the  Harvester  that  the  Lord  had 
also  saved  him  from  the  filthy  use  of  tobacco.) 

BRO.  U.  :  I  remember  with  much  pain  how  I  used  to 
hide  from  my  class-leader  or  preacher,  although  attend- 
ing all  the  meetings,  simply  for  the  reason  that  I  feared 
to  stand  up  and  testify.  Now,  can  we  call  that  enjoying 
religion  ?  I  tell  you  it  was  a  misery  to  me  to  live  thus ; 
but  to-day  I  thank  God,  He  has  given  me  a  clean  heart ; 
He  takes  away  from  me  now  this  slavish,  man-fearing 
spirit.  I  trust  Him  fully.  Thank  God ! 

•         -  . 
Tuesday.  —  The  fire  is  still  burning.     Sister  H.  went 

out  to  buy  some  groceries,  but  could  not  pass  the  church, 
but  "  just  came  in  for  a  little  while."  The  Lord  brought 
her  to  seek  Hun,  receive  Him,  and  confess  Him.  The 


IN   SOUTH    AMERICA.  27 

groceries  got  home  somewhat  late,  but  the  precious  soul 
got  saved  just  in  time.  Another  Lutheran  sister  gave 
her  heart  to  Jesus. 

The  meeting  Avas  closed,  and  when  we  reached  our 
lodging,  we  heard  a  great  noise  in  doors.  Opening  the 
door,  I  saAV  a  good  woman  laughing  and  weeping  for 
joy,  because  she  had  just  found  Jesus,  at  home,  while 
we  were  at  church. 

In  the  evening  we  gave  place  to  a  temperance  society 
which  had  existed  some  time  in  the  place.  However,  I 
was  invited  to  attend.  The  president  was  a  professed 
unbeliever,  and  there  were  many  attending  that  meet- 
ing who  were  not  in  the  habit  of  attending  religious 
meetings.  That  evening  the  Lord  had  something  in 
store  for  them  all.  The  sister  whom  the  Lord  had  con- 
verted at  her  house,  this  afternoon,  came  to  the  temper- 
ance meeting  ;  and  finding  certain  of  her  friends  there, 
she  was  unable  to  be  quiet.  She  went  up  to  them,  when 
they  were  seated,  and,  shouting  and  praising  God  with 
a  loud  voice,  she  told  before  the  multitude  what  God 
had  done  for  her.  She  was  a  young  lady  of  seventeen. 
The  temperance  meeting  was  formally  closed,  and  it 
was  turned  into  a  Holy  Ghost  meeting.  Others  began 
to  praise  the  Lord  with  a  loud  voice,  and  at  last  I  could 
not  keep  from  shouting  outright.  It  seemed  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  had  gotten  hold  of  us,  and  if  we  had  re- 
fiaiued  from  praising  God,  the  very  stones  would  imme- 


28  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

diately  have  cried  out.  All  prayed,  and  praised  the 
wonderful  Jesus,  and  all  prayed,  "  God  save  the  people." 
Thus  closed  the  temperance  meeting. 

Wednesday  morning,  at  10  A.  M.,  we  met  again  at 
the  church,  and  the  Lord  graciously  poured  out  His 
Spirit  upon  those  assembled,  and  six  persons  came  for- 
ward for  prayer.  Among  those  at  the  altar  were  two 
little  girls  of  twelve  years.  In  speaking  to  them,  while 
kneeling,  I  was  struck  at  hearing  them  clearly  defining 
their  condition.  They  knew  what  they  wanted.  I  felt 
sure  the.  Lord  would  answer  their  prayer.  Soon  the 
power  of  God  was  manifested.  One  of  them  arose, 
praising  Jesus  for  salvation  just  found,  and  walked 
about  shaking  hands  with  all  present,  and  shouting 
aloud.  The  first  time  I  ever  heard  a  person  of  her  age 
shout.  It  did  me  much  good.  We  saw  her  then  leave 
the  church  in  haste,  and  while  the  others  were  yet  speak- 
ing, giving  their  testimonies,  our  little  sister  returned, 
leading  some  one  by  the  hand,  and  said :  "  This  is  my 
older  sister.  I  ran  home  arid  told  her  what  the  Lord 
had  done  for  me,  and  that  I  wanted  her  to  come  and 
seek  the  Lord  at  once."  Having  thus  spoken,  they  both 
knelt  down  to  pray.  The  congregation,  much  affected 
by  what  they  had  witnessed,  also  knelt,  and  soon  the 
other  sister  was  made  to  rejoice  in  Christ  her  Saviour. 
A  few  days  before  both  the  parents  of  those  girls  were 
converted  to  God.  We  see  here  a  clear  fulfilment  of 


LN    SOUTH  AMERICA.  29 

the  word,  "  The  promise  is  to  you  and  your  children." 
Dear  parents,  lead  the  way,  and  your  children  will  fol- 
low, if  your  conversion  is  genuine. 

One  brother  professed  conversion,  while  his  wife, 
kneeling  beside  him,  praised  God  for  a  clean  heart. 
But  this  poor  brother,  before  we  left  W.,  had  gone  back 
to  the  world  —  and  why  ?  He  had  lost  a  cow,  and  be- 
gan to  grumble,  and  lost  his  temper.  His  wife  told  me 
his  farm  and  cattle  had  always  been  the  man's  besetting 
sin.  Shall  riches  satisfy  the  soul?  Oh  that  man 
might  see  what  it  profiteth  to  "  gain  the  whole  world 
and  lose  his  own  soul  "  !  An  old  cow  had  tripped  him. 
The  day  will  come  when  some  who  saw  the  wonderful 
work  of  God  in  this  place,  and  wilfully  neglected  to 
improve  the  time  of  this  special  visitation  of  divine 
grace,  would  give  gladly  all  they  possess  in  tins  world 
to  get  a  berth,  however  small,  in  the  old  Noah's  ark, 
which  they  now  would  not  buy  even  for  kindling  wood 
if  offered  at  auction.  Some  people  talk  about  Judas. 
Why,  some  sell  their  master  for  a  drink,  or  for  the  mere 
sake  of  appearances,  or  for  oxen  and  sheep  and  fashion. 

One  of  the  young  ladies  at  the  altar  found  it  hard  to 
give  up  fashion.  Oh,  how  bewitching  a  thing  it  must 
Ix  ,  if,  in  trying  to  take  hold  of  Christ,  this  thing  tor- 
ments them  so  ! 

AVe  continued  tin's  meeting  up  to  the  following  Sab- 
bath, and  appointed  a  love-feast  for  Monday,  when  \ve 


30  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

would  take  leave  of  the  people  and  bid  them  farewell. 
At  every  meeting  some  were  saved,  and  when  we  closed 
on  Sunday  evening,  there  were  forty-three  who  had 
freely  given  their  hearts  to  Jesus.  By  this  time  we  had 
learned  to  love  each  other  so,  that  it  seemed  hard  to 
think  of  parting.  We  met  once  more,  and  for  the  last 
time,  on  Monday  morning ;  and  then  the  story  of  love 
—  the  love  of  Jesus  —  was  told  again.  Oh,  that  pre- 
cious hour !  Surely  the  angels  looked  down  upon  that 
company  and  listened  in  amazement  to  the  wonderful 
testimonies  that  were  given  in  honor  of  the  name  of 
Jesus  and  His  power  to  save  from  sin.  The  shouts  of 
victory  went  up  to  heaven  from  every  heart.  While 
the  people  gathered  around  the  altar,  I  endeavored  to 
read  the  ninety-first  Psalm. 

We  left  them  without  a  preacher  to  continue  the 
work  thus  begun,  but  the  Great  Shepherd  cf  the  sheep 
stood  forth  in  the  words  just  being  read,  and  promised 
to  shelter  His  little  flock  and  hide  them  under  His  pro- 
tecting wings ;  and  while  tears  flowed  freely  —  tears  of 
holy  joy  —  we  bowed  once  more  at  the  throne  of  God, 
and  pledged  ourselves  anew  to  Him,  who  had  so  gra- 
ciously condescended  to  bless  us,  and  had  washed  us  in 
His  most  precious  blood  from  all  our  sins.  Some  who 
had  threatened  to  stop  our  work  were  standing  near  the 
door,  and  looked  on  and  saw  how  Christians  loved  each 
other,  and  saw  how  Christians  parted ;  and  while  the 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  31 

ninety-first  Psalm  was  being  read,  some  of  them  came 
up  a  little  closer  and  were  seen  weeping.  I  do  not  be- 
lieve the  work  stopped  there.  Eternity  will  reveal  the 
result  of  that  last  meeting.  Before  closing  the  meeting 
we  organized  a  holiness  band,  and  a  meeting  for  the 
promotion  of  Christian  experience  in  holiness  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  held  each  week  in  the  church,  and  Bro. 
S.  was  elected  leader.  We  now  sang  once  more, "  Praise 
God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow,"  and  at  the  same 
time,  I,  with  Bro.  llaines,  shook  hands  with  all  that 
were  in  the  house. 

We  had  taken  up  no  collections,  nor  was  there  a  word 
spoken  about  finances  during  our  stay  among  the  peo- 
ple, either  in  private  or  in  public ;  but  as  we  passed  out 
of  the  church,  several  brethren  and  sisters  pressed  some- 
thing hard  into  our  hands ;  and  looking  at  their  faces 
satisfied  us  that  "  they  gave  cheerfully." 

How  THE  LORD  SENDS  THE  SUPPLIES. 

I  went  to  my  lodging  to  prepare  for  departure.     The 

train  was  to  leave  for  T in  two  hours.     While  thus 

engaged  I  saw  Bro.  K.  coming  toward  the  house  in 
great  haste.  I  went  out  to  meet  him,  and  he,  placing  a 
five-dollar  bill  in  my  hand,  said :  "  Brother,  I  had  started 
for  home  on  my  wagon  ;  but  when  I  got  outside  of  the 
town,  my  good  wife  asked  me  whether  I  had  given  you 
some  money,  '  and  I  am  sure  he  needs  it,'  she  added.  I 


32  SIX  YEAES   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

quickly  jumped  off  the  wagon,  and  here  I  am,  to  give 
this." 

The  time  had  come  to  go  to  the  station  to  meet  the 
train.  On  my  way  there  I  met  several  who  had  waited 
to  give  me  some  money,  with  some  pleasant  words 
each.  One  little  girl  came  and  said:  "Bro.  K.,  I  have 
saved  thirty  cents  to  buy  you  one  of  Sankey's  hymn- 
books,  and  here  it  is.  I  have  put  my  name  inside."  I 
could  n't  thank  her  in  words,  but  I  took  her  little  hand 
in  mine  and  wept.  Was  it  not  one  of  the  Lord's  little 
lambs !  Another  little  girl  was  at  the  station  waiting 
to  give  fifty  cents.  We  met  many  there  who  had  come 
out  to  take  a  last  look  at  Bro.  H.  and  myself. 

Bidding  them  farewell,  the  train  started  off.  My 
satchel  looked  a  little  more  respectable  now,  as  I 
thought.  Some  sister  had  put  in  a  new  shirt,  some 
socks,  and  handkerchiefs.  To  be  sure  I  needed  such 
things,  and  that  is  why  the  Lord  provided  them  for  me. 
Bro.  II.  and  I —  once  more  alone  —  talked  over  some  of 
the  past  experiences,  and  especially  about  an  experience 
I  had  in  seeing  God's  protecting  hand ;  when,  about 
the  second  evening  after  commencing  our  work  at 
W ,  I  had  been  told  that  a  crowd  of  young  men  in- 
tended to  collect  in  front  of  the  church  to  "  give  me  a 
sound  thrashing."  After  the  close  of  the  meeting,  on 
my  leaving  the  church,  I  had  quite  forgotten  about  the 
matter.  The  congregation  had  dispersed,  Bro.  II.  had 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  83 

gone,  and  I  alone  remaining  behind,  as  I  had  intended 
to  have  a  word  with  the  sexton.  While  this  man  was 
putting  out  the  lights  I  talked  with  him.  When  the 
•last  light  was  extinguished  I  stepped  outside.  My  eyes 
met  the  faces  of  over  a  dozen  young  men,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment I  knew  what  they  were  about,  — but  I  took  the 
first  one  by  the  hand,  and  so  the  second,  third,  and  so  on, 
until  I  had  shaken  hands  with  them  all,  with  a  pleasant 
word  for  each,  then  a  hearty  "  God  bless  you  all "  and  a 
M  good  night ' "  I  left  them,  as  I  noticed,  quite  con- 
founded. After  reaching  the  corner  of  the  next  street, 
I  could  not  help  turning  round  to  have  a  look  at  them, 
when  I  saw  that  each  had  taken  a  separate  road  to  reach 
their  homes.  They  felt  ashamed  of  each  other.  The 
Lord  had  put  them  to  shame.  Walking  through  the 
midst  of  them,  I  went  my  way,  unharmed.  This,  and 
many  other  blessings  we  had,  in  which  we  could  plainly 
trace  the  guiding  and  protecting  hand  of  the  Almighty 
God.  We  laid  the  trophies  down  at  Jesus'  feet.  (In 
1882,  while  laboring  in  Chili,  South  America,  I  received 
the  Harvester.  To  my  great  joy  I  read  there  that  the 

work  at  W was  still  going  on,  and  that  they  load  a 

good  preacher.  In  answer  to  their  prayers,  one  had 
been  sent  soon  after  we  left.) 

In  T we  found  the  home  of  Bro.  R.,  a  Baptist 

brother,  who,  after  asking  us  to  stop  at  his  house,  and 
offering  the  church  of  which  he  was  the  pastor,  gave 
us  his  experience  in  the  following  words :  — 


34  SIX   YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  • TAYLOB 

"  I  received  the  blessing  of  a  clean  heart  two  years 
aero,  and  ever  since  I  have  been  filled  with  God.     I 

O      ~ 

preach  holiness  to  my  people,  for  I  cannot  keep  from 
preaching  it,  and,  the  best  of  all,  living  it.  Now,  the, 
day  when  I  received  this  great  blessing  of  a  clean  heart, 
while  praising  God  I  fell  to  the  earth  and  was  quite 
overshadowed  with  a  flood  of  glory  that  filled  my  heart 
and  threatened  to  overwhelm  me.  I  thought  I  was  ly- 
ing beneath  a  large  vessel,  filled  with  the  new  wine  of  the 
Gospel,  and  with  my  mouth  to  the  faucet,  it  was  turned 
on,  and  the  contents  flowing  and  flowing,  until  in  the 
agony  of  despair,  and  in  vain  trying  to  stop  the  flow, 
I  managed  to  cry  out,  '  Lord,  stop,  or  enlarge  my  capac- 
ity I '  I  awoke  and  found  that  the  Lord  indeed  enlarged 
my  capacity  daily,  and  I  never  say  any  more,  '  Lord, 
stop ! '  I  believe,"  the  brother  said,  in  closing,  "  God 
can  kill  us  with  love." 

We  opened  the  church  next  day  for  the  people,  and 
although  there  seemed  much  prejudice  against  us  Meth- 
odists, yet  the  Lord  poured  out  His  Spirit  and  converted 
several,  and  sanctified  some.  We  stayed  three  clays  in 
the  place.  One  day  we  were  invited  to  dine  at  a 
Quaker  house.  Grand  old  people  they  were,  and  wholly 
consecrated,  but  a  daughter  was  not.  She,  however, 
called  me  aside,  and  had  an  earnest  talk  with  me  con- 
cerning her  eternal  welfare.  When  I  had  finished  she 
said :  "  Then  I  must  now  give  myself  to  God,  and  I 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  35 

• 

shall  not  arise  from  my  knees  until  I  have  the  definite 
witness  of  a  clean  heart."  The  result  may  easily  he 
guessed.  After  tin's  sister  had  prayed,  she  looked  stead 
f astly  to  heaven,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  tears  thai 
flowed  down  her  cheeks,  one  beholding  her  might  have 
thought  a  marble  statue  was  there,  beside  the  chair. 
Then  she  arose  and  praised  God  for  the  unspeakable 
gift  of  "  love  made  perfect." 

The  last  meeting  I  held  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  the  pre- 
siding elder  being  present.  I  preached  from  the  sev- 
enth of  Romans.  After  the  sermon,  a  young  man  in 
the  congregation  arose  and  confessed  that  long  he  had 
been  seeking  the  light  of  liberty,  and  now  he  had  been 
enabled  to  see  his  own  heart,  and  knew  what  ailed 
him,  and  that,  by  the  help  of  God,  he  now  accepted 
Christ  as  his  Purifier.  The  presiding  elder  arose  and 
said :  "  I  want  to  warn  the  members  of  my  church  that, 
while  the  words  of  the  young  man  who  has  preached 
sound  very  good,  yet  I  must  tell  you  that  he  has  much 
perverted  the  word  of  God."  Then,  addressing  the 
young  man  who  had  just  testified,  he  said :  "  You  in  re- 
ality need  nothing  —  you  only  give  way  to  the  enemy 
too  much,  making  you  believe  you  are  not  what  3-011 
ought  to  be;  and  if  you  will  consider  the  matter,  you 
will  find  that  already  you  are  in  possession  of  just  that- 
blessing  of  which  the  preacher  has  spoken  in  his  dis- 
course." 


36  SIX   YEAHS    WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

This  was  a  very  sad  interruption  of  the  meeting.  We 
closed  in  great  sorrow,  feeling  deeply  for  the  poor  peo- 
ple and  their  presiding  elder.  But  how  many  are  there 
in  the  church  of  the  same  type,  not  growing,  as  those 
always  suppose  they  do,  and  hindering  the  church  from 
growing  in  the  gKice  of  knowledge  ? 

Next  morning  by  rail  to  C ,  where  they  had  had 

a  blessed  revival  a  few  weeks  ago.  So  we  strengthened 
the  brethren  during  four  meetings,  and  had  the  joy  of 
seeing  some  seeking  and  finding  a  clean  heart. 


CHAPTER  H. 

SUMMER  AND  HARVEST-TIME  REVIVALS. 

BRO.  HAINES  now  returned  to  Indianapolis  to  remain 
there,  while  I,  having  consecrated  my  entire  time  and 
life  to  God,  laid  my  plans  to  strike  out  in  another  direc- 
tion. I  felt  sorry  to  leave  Bro.  H.,  hut  it  seemed  the 
will  of  God.  I  accompanied  this  dear  brother  to  his 
home,  and  before  retiring  for  the  night  we  pledged  our- 
selves to  pray  for  each  other  always.  Lodging  at  a  hotel 
for  that  night,  before  retiring  I  bowed  in  prayer,  and 
while  praying,  I  asked  the  Lord  to  make  me  a  present 
of  a  Bagster's  Bible,  and  I  said :  "  You  know,  Lord,  one 
of  those  with  flexible  covers,  references,  and  a  concord- 
ance." (Up  to  date  I  had  been  the  proprietor  of  a  small 
ten-cent  Testament.  I  had  used  it  in  all  my  meetings, 
and  it  had  gotten  quite  worn.  I  had  seen  some  of  those 
nice  Teachers'  Bibles,  and  my  heart  coveted  one,  and  I 
had  told  the  Lord  all  about  it,  and  had  begged  Him  for 
the  book  every  night  for  two  months.)  I  grew  quite 
eloquent  in  my  pleading  for  the  book,  and  said :  "  Lord, 
now,  give  me  that  Bible." 

A  REMARKABLE  ANSWER  TO  PRAYER. 
Just  then  I  thought  a  hand  reached  down  to  me,  and 
behold. !  —  I  saw  the  precious  copy  in  that  hand.     Quick 

37 


38  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

as  thought  I  jumped  up,  and  at  the  same  time  I  receiv- 
ed an  overwhelming  baptism  of  the  Spirit ;  and  looking 
toward  the  corner  of  the  room  where  that  shining  hand 
seemed  to  have  disappeared,  I  clapped  my  hands,  and 
heard  myself  saying,  in  a  soft  whisper,  "  I  got  the  book ! 
I  got  the  book !  "  For  hours  I  could  not  go  to  bed,  but 
walking  the  room,  I  had  but  words  of  praise.  "  1  got 
the  book ! "  I  got  the  book !  "  I  would  now  and  then 
exclaim. 

When  I  at  last  closed  my  eyes  in  sleep,  my  last 
words  were :  "  I  got  the  book  !  " 

Full  of  faith  and  joy  I  arose  the  next  morning,  and  I 
pressed  the  book  to  my  heart  in  faith.  I  felt  just  as 
though  I  had  it  in  my  hand,  and  I  found  no  time  to 
look  about  me,  or  to  think  where  it  was  to  come  from. 

After  dressing,  I  walked  toward  the  home  of  Bro.  H., 
when  I  met  him  in  the  street  on  his  way  to  my  lodging, 
as  he  told  me.  He  looked  happy,  and  I  thought  the 
dear  brother  had  something  to  tell  me,  and  so  it  was. 
"  Do  you  know,  Bro.  K.,"  he  began,  "  I  had  a  singular 
experience  last  night.  A  man  who  owed  me  seven  dol- 
lars, who  had  borrowed  the  amount  about  two  years  ago, 
stopped  in  at  my  house  and  paid  the  debt.  Just  imag- 
ine my  surprise  !  As  I  had  quite  given  up  the  money 
as  lost,  the  more  pleasant  seemed  the  surprise.  I  looked 
at  the  money,  and,  thanking  God  for  it,  I  said  to  myself : 
"  I  've  been  long  wanting  one  of  those  nice  Teachers' 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  39 

Bibles,  with,  flexible  cover,  references  and  concordance ; 
but  never  could  afford  to  buy  one." 

"  You  have  got  the  money  now,  and  you  had  better 
get  one,"  I  said.  (While  this  brother  was  thus  talking, 
I  nearly  burst  out  with  my  experience  of  last  night  at 
the  hotel,  which  seemed  to  correspond  exactly  with  his ; 
but  by  an  effort,  I  kept  silent  as  yet.) 

He  continued  :  "  I  thus  stood  and  rejoiced  in  my 
heart  over  the  fair  prospect  in  view,  when  suddenly  I 
thought  of  you  and  your  ten-cent  Testament,  and  that 
the  new  Bible  belonged  to  you.  I  gave  it  up,  and  I 
came  to  meet  you  this  morning,  to  take  you  to  the  book- 
store and  get  it  at  once." 

By  this  time  my  eyes  had  filled  with  tears  of  joy,  and 
my  heart  was  full  to  overflowing.  I  took  my  Bro.  II. 
by  the  hand,  but  could  not  speak  for  some  time,  and 
then  I  told  him  my  experience  of  last  night. 

"  Now,  let 's  hurry  and  get  it,"  was  all  Bro.  II.  could 
say.  That  is  how  I  got  my  Bible. 

Same  day  I  left  for  F .  My  money  would  not  al- 
low me  to  go  farther.  I  inquired  for  the  preacher  in 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Church.  Found  lie  was  absent, 
but  the  officials  opened  the  church  for  me,  and  I  preach- 
ed the  same  evening  to  the  people,  it  being  Saturday. 
After  service  I  was  asked  to  stay  over  the  Sabbath  and 
preach.  I  promised  I  would. 

This  pleasant  Sabbath  morning  the  Lord  blessed  us 


40  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

greatly  at  the  church,  An  invitation  was  extended  to 
the  people  to  come  to  the  altar  to  seek  pardon,  and 
purity.  The  altar  was  crowded,  —  not  a  spot  left  va- 
cant, —  and  now  all  prayed  earnestly,  according  to 
their  several  needs.  The  brother  preacher  just  then 
returned  from  an  appointment,  and  hearing  that  some- 
one was  preaching  in  his  church,  came  to  hear  ;  and  he 
heard  and  saw  what  God  had  wrought.  Several  pro- 
fessed to  have  obtained  salvation,  and  there  was  great 
joy.  After  the  meeting  I  consulted  with  the  brethren, 
as  to  the  continuance  of  the  meeting;  but  the  brother 
in  charge  thought  it  would  be  an  unwise  proceeding,  as 
it  was  in  the  midst  of  harvest-time.  I  told  them  that  I 
could  praise  God  for  "  harvest-time  revivals,"  -  —  it  did 
not  matter  at  what  time  poor  sinners  came  to  God,  He 
was  always  willing  to  accept  them.  But  I  could  not 
change  their  minds. 

Now,  there  prevails  a  very  unhealthy  "  idea  in  the 
churches  "  about  "  times  and  seasons."  I  don't  wish  to 
express  my  mind  just  now,  but  I  do  think,  that  when 
the  Lord  begins  a  Avork,  and  we  see  poor  perishing 
souls  will  cluster  around  the  mercy-seat  and  seek  salva- 
tion, no  man  should  undertake  to  raise  his  voice  and 
smother  the  work.  How  often  have  opportunities  been 
missed  in  just  that  way,  and  how  many  souls  have  gone 
down  to  perdition,  only  God  knows.  If  some  brethren 
have  acted  according  to  honest  conviction,  and  walking 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  41 

in  the  light,  it  is  all  well,  as  far  as  they  are  personally 
concerned ;  but  I  cannot  help  fearing,  by  judging  from 
the  words  uttered  and  the  appearance  of  some  of  the 
faces,  that  sometimes  preachers  and  laymen  are  touched 
in  their  pride,  because  some  one  else  was  said  to  start 
the  work.  And  then  some  do  not  believe  in  the  doc- 
trine of  holiness,  as  revealed  in  the  Bible  and  as  given 
in  the  Methodist  Discipline. 

A  BLIND  MAN  WITH  GOOD  EYES. 

Monday  morning  came,  and  I  concluded  to  leave  for 
Union  City,  Ind.,  but  I  had  not  a  cent  of  money  for 
the  trip,  and  so  I  prayed  about  it.  I  was  walking  up 
and  down  in  front  of  my  lodging  (a  brother's  house 
who  had  kindly  invited  me  to  stop  with  him),  when  I 
saw  a  blind  man  feeling  his  way  across  the  street  by 
means  of  a  stick  in  his  hands.  I  watched  the  man  with 
some  interest  and  sympathy,  and  saw  how  nicely  he 
managed  to  find  the  way,  although  being  without  a 
leader.  As  he  passed  me,  I  bade  him  a  "  good  morn- 
ing." The  man  stopped,  and  turning  upon  me,  reached 
out  his  hand,  and  said :  "  Oh,  is  that  the  young  man 
who  preached  to  us  yesterday?  I  think  I  recognize 
your  voice."  I  shook  his  hand  and  told  him  that  I  was 
that  man.  "  I  am  just  out  looking  for  you,  and  I  am 
glad  that  I  have  met  you,"  he  continued,  "  and  I  want 
to  give  you  some  money."  Smilingly  he  went  on  to 


42  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

say  :  "  I  am  only  a  poor  man,  and  I  have  no  money  to 
give  ;  but  when  I  heard  this  morning  that  the  meetings 
were  not  to  be  continued,  I  thought  of  course  you 
would  soon  leave  the  place,  and  while  offering  my 
morning  prayers,  I  was  much  impressed  concerning  your 
needs.  I  did  not  know  how  to  help  you,  but  I  thought 
to  see  you  at  once  and  hear  from  your  lips  something 
about  your  affairs."  I  could  see  that  this  dear  brother 
possessed  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  that  he  had  keen 
spiritual  eyesight,  "  so  that  the  Lord  could  use  him."  I 
then  told  him  that  I  had  just  been  praying  to  God  to 
send  me  on  my  way,  and  to  provide.  The  brother  said : 
"  I  thought  as  much,  and  now  I  will  go  and  get  the 
money."  He  left,  but  soon  returned  with  money  in  his 
hands,  which  he  had  collected  from  friends  who  had  at- 
tended the  meeting  yesterday.  On  investigating,  I 
found  I  had  just  enough  to  take  me  to  Union  City,  and 
twenty-five  cents  left. 

Now,  why  was  God  pleased  to  use  just  this  poor  and 
blind  brother  ?  It  is  not  always  the  rich  whom  the 
Lord  can  use  for  such  purposes.  God,  however,  is  able 
to  save  the  rich  and  cause  them  to  give  of  their  wealth ; 
and,  thanks  be  to  God !  he  has  those  among  the  rich 
who  will  let  Him  use  their  money. 

The  Lord  thus  proved  to  me  continually  that  He  had 
engaged  to  provide  for  my  every  need  in  answer  to 
simple  childlike  prayer.  The  arrangement  for  my  sup- 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  43 

plies  was  complete  when  I  started  on  the  eighteenth  of 
May.  Praise  and  all  glory  be  to  God  ! 

A  WONDERFUL  EXPERIENCE. 

The  train  left  F late  and  I  arrived  in  Union  City  at 

11.20  P.  M.,  near  midnight.  On  starting  from  F 1  had 

not  considered  the  question  as  to  the  time  of  my  arrival 
in  Union  City,  and  had  long  forgotten  the  fact  that  I 
only  possessed  twenty-five  cents,  but  I  enjoyed  perfect 
rest  and  looked  to  the  source  of  all  my  blessings,  and 
He  had  promised  not  to  fail  me,  and  trustingly  I  leaned 
on  Him  who  has  made  the  world.  But  few  people  were 
in  the  train,  and  soon  they  disappeared  to  sight,  per- 
haps making  their  way  to  a  snug  little  home,  or  to  some 
fine  hotel.  Did  I  envy  them?  I,  the  child  of  a  King? 
Oh,  no,  no,  no  !  a  thousand  times,  no  !  "With  my  heart 
filled  with  inexpressible  joy,  I  looked  up  to  God  and 
said :  "  Lord,  give  me  a  stone  for  a  pillow,  the  blue 
heavens  for  a  covering,  the  Holy  Spirit  standing  guard, 
and  the  world  can  have  the  palaces,  the  ease  and  com- 
fort ;  but  keep  Thou  me  from  sin."  But  the  Lord  had 
a  place  for  me,  and  in  deep  humility  and  in  that  posi- 
tion, praising  and  adoring  my  Master,  I  desire  to  note 
down  this  wonderful  experience  which  I  was  now  gra- 
ciously permitted  to  pass  through. 

I  was  walking  up  some  street ;  I  did  not  kno^  just 
where  I  was  going  to ;  but  thought  that  somewhere  I 


44  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

might  discover  a  light,  for  no  lights  were  to  be  seen  in 
this  street,  and  the  windows  showed  no  sign  that  within 
any  one  was  still  awake  ;  only  the  moon  had  turned  out 
in  full.  I  had  walked,  say  two  or  three  squares,  when 
I  turned  up  to  the  left,  and  approaching  the  next  cor- 
ner house,  I  saw  a  man  sitting  on  some  steps  that  led 
up  to  the  door  of  the  house,  in  a  half  slumber.  I 
stepped  up,  and  touching  him  on  the  shoulder,  asked 
him  to  be  kind  enough  to  show  me  to  some  lodging- 
house.  The  poor  fellow  was  frightened  out  of  his  wits, 
and  I  thought  that  moment  that  I  might  have  been 
more  careful  in  awakening  him.  He  must  have  caught 
only  my  last  words,  for  jumping  up,  he  stumbled  up  the 
few  steps  and  said  "  Lodging-house,  sir  ?  Yes,  this  is 
one,"  at  the  same  time  thundering  at  the  door  with  his 
fist  with  all  his  might.  I  wished  almost  I  could  have 
prevented  him,  for  really  I  did  not  know  that  I  wanted 
a  hotel,  remembering  that  twenty-five  cents  was  all  the 
money  I  had.  Before  I  was  able  to  say  —  "Wait  a 
moment !  "  a  voice  was  heard  from  within,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  light  of  a  candle  illuminated  the  window- 
panes  nearest  the  door.  It  was  too  late  now,  to  get  out 
of  the  dilemma.  I  could  but  stand  still  and  see  the 
salvation  of  the  Lord.  A  peace  that  passeth  knowledge 
possessed  my  heart,  and  I  waited.  "  Who  wishes  to  see 
me  ?  "  I  heard  a  pleasant  voice  inquire,  and  the  next 
moment  the  door  was  opened,  and,  what  I  expected,  to 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  45 

judge  from  the  voice  I  had  heard,  a  rather  pleasant- 
looking  man  appeared  in  deepest  negligee  at  the  door. 
u  Ah,  a  stranger !  Come  in,  sir,  come.  Excuse  me,  sir, 
for  keeping  you  waiting  so  long,  but  I  had  just  dozed 
off  when  I  heard  the  knock  at  the  door." 

MIDNIGHT  GKACE. 

Now  I  thought  the  man  manifested  considerable  grace 
to  have  so  pleasant  a  face,  when  called  to  get  up  at  such 
an  hour  of  the  night ;  and  then  to  beg  to  be  excused  for 
keeping  me  so  long.  I  should  have  begged  his  pardon 
for  disturbing  him ;  but  I  had  no  time  to  say  anything. 
I  only  realized  a  home-like  feeling  creeping  over  me, 
and  that  my  ringers  were  mechanically  rummaging  the 
waist-coat  pocket  for  the  twenty-five  cents.  "  Yes, 
sir,  I  would  like  to  have  a  bed  for  this  night,  but  —  but 
—  but  — but,  —  well  —  "  in  a  faltering  voice,  I  brought 
out  as  much  as  —  "got  only  twen —  "  I  was  cut  short  by 
the  pleasant-looking  man,  with  the  words  — "  Oh,  my 
dear  sir,  don't  mention  that  now ;  I  will  take  the  light 
and  you  just  follow  me."  And  my  twenty-five  cents 
slid  back  into  my  pocket,  and  before  I  knew  how,  we 
had  reached  what  was  to  be  my  bed-room.  "  Here  you 
can  sleep,  sir,"  said  the  good  man,  and  giving  me  the 
lighted  candle,  pressed  my  hand  and  bade  me  a  good- 
night, and  disappeared.  For  a  few  moments  I  stood, 
motionless  in  the  center  of  the  room ;  all  was  so  quiet 


46  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

about  me  ;  and.  as  it  were,  awaking  from  a  dream,  I  put 
down  my  light  on  the  washstand,  hid  my  face  in  my 
hands,  and  wept.  How  long  I  stood  there  I  cannot  tell. 
I  only  know  that  my  eyes  fell  on  a  little  stand  near  the 
'  bed,  and  what  met  my  gaze  ?  I  was  sure  I  could  not 
be  mistaken, — it  was  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  in  a  hotel ! 
Oh,  that  was  too  much  for  my  poor  heart  to  bear  !  I 
pressed  the  precious  book  to  my  heart  and  sank  down 
upon  my  knees ;  but  I  could  not  utter  a  word.  I  fell 
flat  on  the  floor,  and  I  lay  there  long  —  very  long  —  un- 
able to  stir  or  utter  a  word.  I  was  lost  in  God  —  stand- 
ing in  the  cleft  of  the  Hock — Jesus  —  and  beholding 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father.  I  arose  and  quietly  laid 
down  to  rest.  Scarcely  had  my  head  touched  the  soft 
pillow,  when  sleep  closed  my  eyes.  I  feel  utterly  un- 
able to  enlarge  on  the  foregoing  or  to  express  what  I 
felt  and  my  eyes  had  seen.  It  passeth  understanding. 
"Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  His 
benefits !  "  O  that  men  would  trust  God,  and  believe 
what  He  says  ! 

The  following  morning  I  arose  much  refreshed,  and 
then  I  had  a  sweet  hour  of  conversation  with  the  Fa- 
ther, and  Jesus,  my  Saviour.  First,  I  thanked  God 
that  He  had  led  me  into  the  house  of  a  Christian.  It 
was  now  very  plain  to  me  that  the  proprietor  must  be  a 
disciple  of  Jesus.  The  Bible  on  the  stand  in  my  room, 
explained  much  to  ine.  It  explained  to  me  the  pleasant 


rsr  SOUTH  AMERICA.  47 

face  of  the  man,  the  hearty  welcome,  and  his  kindness 
The  words  of  the  Saviour  then  came  to  me :  "  Inasmuch 
as  you  have  done  this  unto  one  of  the  least  of  My  dis- 
ciples, you  have  done  it  unto  Me ; "  and  I  asked  the 
Lord  to  bless  the  good  man  of  the  house. 

My  plan  was  now  to  see,  first  the  preacher  in  charge 
of  the  M.  E.  Church,  for  I  made  it  a  rule  to  go  to  my 
own  people  first,  and  if  the  doors  were  closed  upon  me, 
I  turn  to  other  denominations,  preacliing  the  same  free 
Gospel.  Passing  through  the  office,  I  desired,  of  course, 
to  see  the  proprietor,  and  thank  him  for  his  kindness, 
but  I  found  him  very  busily  engaged,  talking  with  some 
one.  Thinking  it  wise  not  to  disturb  him,  I  stepped  out 
on  the  street,  and  bidding  him  a  good  morning,  said 
that  I  would  be  back  shortly  to  have  a  talk  with  him. 
The  man  hastily  broke  his  conversation,  and,  running  to 
stop  my  progress,  lie  said,  "  Now,  you  are  not  going 
away  without  taking  your  breakfast.  Just  go  down  to 
the  basement.  There  you  find  the  dining-room;  sit 
down,  and  orders  have  already  been  given."  That  was 
more  than  I  had  anticipated,  for  I  had  thought  too  fast 
that  morning,  and,  stepping  out  to  go  at  once  to  the 
parsonage,  I  had  quite  forgotten  that,  since  12  M.,  the 
previous  day,  I  had  taken  nothing  for  the  stomach's 
sake.  With  thankful  heart  I  sat  down  to  the  table,  and 
also  asked  God  to  bless  the  cheerful  giver.  How  desir- 
ous I  was  to  see  that  man,  and  to  speak  to  him  !  The 


48  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

dear  Lord,  however,  prevented  me  that  morning,  and, 
simply  for  the  purpose  of  giving  us  both  a  full  blessing, 
as  I  could  see,  to  my  great  joy,  a  few  hours  later. 

My  benefactor  was  still  engaged  in  business,  and,  as 
I  thought,  making  out  some  accounts  with  the  same 
person  that  was  with  him  half  an  hour  before.  This 
time  I  left  the  house  without  giving  notice,  but  deter- 
mined to  be  back  as  soon  as  possible.  Some  person  on 
the  street  pointed  out  to  me  the  parsonage,  and  soon  I 
was  introduced.  Bro.  M.,  the  pastor,  seemed  glad  that 
I  had  come,  and  gave  me  the  church  for  services,  and 
any  length  of  time  I  desired  to  continue  the  meetings. 
Then  he  gave  me  the  name  of  a  Bro.  R.,  a  shoemaker, 
and  said  it  would  be  well  to  see  him  at  once,  and  get 
him  to  make  my  arrangements  concerning  invitations, 
and  visiting  the  people.  I  started  out  at  once  to  see 
Bro.  R.,  and  had  no  trouble  in  finding  him.  Everybody 
seemed  to  know  him.  After  a  hearty  greeting  and  a 
few  words,  I  thought  he  might  be  the  sort  of  man, 
"  known  and  read  of  all  men,"  for  truly  he  was  one  of 
the  Lord's  "  peculiar  ones." 

Bro.  R.  had  been  praying  for  some  one  to  come  and 
give  a  start,  for  he  was  one  of  those  who  believe  in  a  re- 
vival to  last  365  days  in  the  year.  We  soon  were  ready 
to  start  out  to  visit  another  brother  who  kept  a  livery- 
stable.  When  he  knew  who  I  was,  he  said :  "  Did  'nt 
you  stay  last  night  at  the  hotel  of  Bro. ?  "  I  did 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  49 

not  know,  of  course,  whether  it  was  the  hotel  of  Bro. 
or  not ;  but  I  pointed  out  the  place,  which  I  dis- 
covered was  close  by,  and  the  man  said,  "  Yes,  that  is 

his  place.     Well,"  continued  he,  "  Bro. has  seen 

the  pastor  this  morning,  and  he  was  told  that  a  young 
man  had  just  left,  who  asked  to  have  the  church,  and 
that  a  series  of  meetings  were  to  be  held  soon  ;  and  by 
the  description  of  the  person,  which  the  pastor  gave 

him,  and  Bro. gave  me  just  ten  minutes  ago,  it 

must  be  you,  sir.     And  now  Bro. is  in  search  for 

you.     He  would  like  very  much  to  see  you." 

I,  of  course,  understood  the  whole,  and  hastened  to 
meet  this  dear  brother.     We  met,  and  great  was  our  joy. 

Bro. said  that  he  felt  almost  certain  what  I  was, 

after  he  had  taken  me  to  my  room  last  night,  for  he  had 
seen,  while  speaking  to  me,  part  of  my  Bible  looking 
out  of  my  overcoat  pocket,  and  he  recognized  it  at  once 
as  "  the  book."  He  went  on  to  say  that  he  felt  blessed 
all  night,  and  all  the  morning,  and  especially,  while  I 
ate  my  breakfast,  and  that  he  felt  as  anxious  to  see  me 
as  I  was  to  see  him,  only  he  could  not  manage  to  get 
away  from  the  customer,  when  he  saw  me  waiting  at 
the  door  in  the  morning.  We  both  praised  the  Lord 
for  His  wonderful  blessings.  His  ways  are  paths  of 
peace  and  joy.  Who  would  deny  it  ?  Though  poor,  I 
am  rich,  and  with  Habakkuk  I  rejoicingly  say :  "  Al- 
though the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit 


50  SIX  YEARS    WITH    WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

be  in  the  vines ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the 
fields  shall  yield  no  meat;  the  flock  shall  be  cut  off 
from  the  fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls, 
yet  I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of 
my  salvation."  Amen,  even  so,  Lord. 

Doing  business  for  eternity,  and  investing  in  it,  pays 
the  largest  and  surest  interest,  —  our  eternal  weight  of 
glory  —  a  crown  that  f adeth  not  away  and  a  home  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens,  prepared  for 
them  that  love  Him  and  serve  Him  in  true  holiness  all 
the  days  of  their  life. 

Meetings  were  begun  next  day,  at  7.30  p.  M.,  and  the 
altar  work  at  once  was  taken  up,  and  God  set  His  seal 
to  the  work,  and  many  were  either  converted  or  entirely 
sanctified.  There  was  a  great  rattling  of  dry  bones, 
thank  God  !  and  Christ's  touch  brought  life  and  beauty. 
Some  who  had  no  family  prayer,  and  even  feared  to  ask 
the  blessing  of  God  when  at  their  meals,  were  enabled 
to  take  up  their  duties.  They  were  members  of  the 
church  for  years,  "  in  good  standing." 

On  the  following  Sabbath,  the  pastor  himself  intend- 
ed to  preach  to  his  congregation,  and  I  accepted  a  call 
to  preach  at  Mount  Zion  Church,  about  eight  miles 
away.  Bro.  R.  and  I  walked  to  our  appointment  amid 
rain,  the  road  being  very  muddy ;  but  we  went  our  way 
rejoicing.  Notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  weather,  a 
good  congregation  had  assembled  in  the  neat  little 
chapel,  and  three  souls  were  brought  to  Jesus. 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  51 

During  the  following  week  the  meetings  were  contin- 
ued in  the  Union  City  M.  E.  Church,  under  great'bless- 
ings,  and  for  the  following  Sabbath  I  had  again  accepted 
an  invitation  to  preach  at  Raper  Chapel,  about  twelve 
miles  away  from  Union  City.  A  number  of  workers 
from  the  city  accompanied  me,  and  together,  we  bowed 
before  God,  entreating  Him  to  give  us  the  fullness  of 
His  Spirit  for  the  work  before  us ;  and  as  the  disciples 
of  old  were  waiting  before  Lord  for  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  so  did  we,  and  experienced  the  same  gra- 
cious filling.  However,  as  to  the  subject  for  considera- 
tion in  the  service,  I  was  not  permitted  to  see  my  way 
clear  until  just  before  reaching  the  house  of  meeting. 

Ax  EXPERIENCE  IN  SELECTING  A  TEXT. 

My  mind  had  been  much  exercised  for  several  hours, 
and  I  could  obtain  no  light  whatever.  I  prayed  to  God 
with  my  open  Bible  before  me,  but  to  no  effect,  but  with 
the  exception  that  at  last  I  arose  with  quiet  peace  in  my 
soul,  and  confidence  toward  the  Saviour,  and  it  was 
plain  that,  for  once  at  least,  the  Lord  would  give  me  the 
word  just  in  time.  Walking  to  the  chapel  with  several 
of  the  brethren,  not  a  word  was  spoken,  but  just  as  we 
were  coming  up  to  it,  one  of  the  party  dropped  a  word 
concerning  the  Lord  Jesus,  when,  clapping  my  hands,  I 
could  not  help  praising  God  aloud,  and  cried :  "  I  have  it 
now :  It  is  finished,  it  is  finished  "  !  And  this  was  my 


52  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

text  for  that  day.  Right  from  the  beginning  there  was 
a  remarkable  feeling  among  the  people  and  an  almost 
anxious  looking  forward  for  a  great  baptism  of  the 
Spirit,  —  and  it  did  come,  bursting  like  a  mighty  flood 
upon  the  whole  congregation.  I  hardly  said  the  last 
word,  when  there  was  a  rush  for  the  altar  made  by  those 
stricken  by  the  word,  without  waiting  for  an  invitation  to 
come  forward.  The  Spirit  of  God  was  at  work.  Quick- 
er than  I  take  down  my  notes,  thirteen  precious  souls 
had  fallen  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  many,  in 
tears,  were  pleading  with  their  God,  for  Christ's  sake  to 
pardon  their  sins,  while  others  prayed  for  sanctification 
by  faith,  and  again  others,  as  they  touched  with  their 
knees  the  floor,  with  bright  and  shining  faces,  while  yet 
at  the  same  time  tears  sparkled  in  their  eyes,  praised 
God  at  once  for  the  great  blessing  of  cleansing  from  all 
indwelling  sin,  that  they  just  now  experienced  for  them- 
selves. 

While  I  was  busily  engaged  in  putting  my  workers 
into  position,  here  and  there,  to  assist  some  struggling 
souls,  I  beheld,  to  my  great  joy,  that  all  over  the  church, 
and  in  their  seats,  saints  and  sinners  were  on  their 
knees,  and  one  universal  cry  arose  from  their  lips  to 
heaven :  "  Lord,  save  !  Lord,  save  !  "  It  was  wonder- 
ful ;  we  had  a  Pentecostal  blessing.  There  was  work 
to  do  for  the  brethren  and  sisters  who  had  come  with 
me  from  the  city,  and,  thanks  be  to  God !  most  of  them 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  53 

had  experienced  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from 
all  sin,  and  at  this  altar  were  enabled  to  do  efficient  ser- 
vice for  the  Master,  in  pointing  out  to  the  seekers  of 
heart  purity  the  way  to  Jesus.  It  was  a  grand  sight  to 
see  those  who  had  followed  their  Master  faithfully,  and 
according  to  the  light  they  possessed,  through  the  re- 
generation. How  sweetly  these  dear  souls  entered  "  the 
valley  of  blessings."  With  some  there  was  but  little 
of  confession,  and  but  little  struggle,  —  they  seemed  to 
drink  in  the  truth ;  and,  looking  up  to  heaven,  they 
simply  received  Jesus,  and  said  '"Lord,  now  I  am  wholly 
Thine."  Others,  again,  found  that  sin  had  been  in- 
dulged, and  that  forgiveness  must  first  be  sought  and 
obtained,  and  then  passed  right  on  to  holiness  entire. 
The  workers  understood  their  work,  and  did  thorough 
altar  service,  which  is  of  so  much  importance,  as  many 
seek  the  entire  sanctification  of  their  hearts,  while  in 
reality  they  need  to  be  reclaimed  from  a  half  backslid- 
den state ;  or  some  seek  to  be  reclaimed,  while  they 
never  before  have  possessed  the  knowledge  of  sins  for- 
given. Only  those  "  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God," 
are  really  fit  to  do  altar  or  inquiry-room  work.  I  low 
to  work  with  seekers  was  never  before  made  so  plain  to 
me,  nor  did  I  ever  before  feel  such  a  tremendous  weight 
of  responsibility  resting  on  me  ;  but,  thanks  be  to  God  I 
seeing  the  light,  I  was  enabled  to  shift  its  weight  en 
the  Master,  and  truly  the  result  could  be  left  with  the 


54  SIX  YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

Mighty  to  save.     This  will  be  a  day  to  be  remembered 
in  the  history  of  Raper  Chapel. 

The  work  did  not  close  with  that  Sabbath  service, 
but  the  holy  fire  was  kindling  hearts  all  over  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  round  about  Union  City.  Souls 
were  inquiring  the  way  everywhere,  and  desired  meet- 
ings in  their  respective  churches. 

On  returning  to  the  city,  I  opened  meetings  at  the  U. 
B.  church.  Pastor  A.  at  first  opposed  the  doctrine  of 
holiness  and  did  so  for  four  or  five  days,  rising  at  the 
close  of  each  meeting  and  saying  something  to  contra 
diet  certain  things.  But  on  Saturday  the  Lord  gave 
me  a  precious  text  —  "  Go  up  and  possess  the  land." 
God's  Holy  Spirit  was  present,  and  the  long-looked-for 
breaks  in  the  ice  seemed  to  be  not  far  off,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  sermon  the  "  cracking  "  could  be  heard, 
caused  by  the  pastor  of  the  church  himself.  He  arose 
and  said  that  he  was  to  preach  on  the  morrow  (Sunday) 
at  an  outside  appointment,  and,  strange  to  say,  he  had 
chosen  the  same  text,  and  prepared  his  sermon ;  but,  he 
continued,  if  the  interpretation  that  I  had  given  to  the 
text  was  correct,  then  his  entire  sermon  would  be  spoiled 
for  him ;  and  then  he  went  on  to  defend  his  sermon, 
falling  in  to  the  "  common  error,"  that  the  wilderness 
presented  the  life  of  God's  people  on  earth,  and 
"  Canaan,"  heaven ;  and  he  intended  to  encourage  his 
flock  to  go  on  as  they  had  hitherto,  only,  not  to  be 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  55 

discouraged,  but  wait  till  the  Master  calls  them  home 
to  enter  the  valley  of  blessings  so  sweet.  Sweet,  in- 
deed, to  listen  to,  especially  to  a  good  speaker,  and  he 
would  succeed  in  getting  his  congregation  to  shed  tears ; 
but,  as  the  preacher  disconnects  the  text  from  its  con- 
nectional  Scriptural  meaning,  so  thus  he  leaves  his  peo- 
ple without  the  root  of  the  matter,  and  if  by  feeling, 
simply,  the  poor  souls  must  retain  or  rather  manufac- 
ture courage,  they  will  continue  to  be  discouraged,  and 
in  the  unequal  fight  with  a  wilderness  experience,  fall 
in  the  wilderness,  their  bones  bleaching  in  the  sun. 
Such  have  just  enough  religion  to  make  them  miserable. 
Now,  up  to  date,  not  a  soul  had  come  to  Jesus.  It 
seemed  that  the  Lord  would  now  begin  with  the  one 
who  stood  in  the  way  of  the  sinner  and  the  thirsting 
believer ;  hence,  with  great  joy  the  angels  heard  the  half 
confession.  But  still  the  cloud  hung  heavily  above  us. 
It  caused  us  to  move  closer  up  to  the  Redeemer,  and 
faith  wa«  strengthened.  Prayer  was  soon  to  be  an- 
swered, for  our  dear  brother,  the  pastor.  This  was  the 
Saturday  morning  meeting. 

How  THE  LORD  SLEW  A  GOLIATH. 

In  the  afternoon  meeting  the  blessing  came,  but  not 
without  one  more  sore  trial  for  the  Lord's  people.  After 
1  had  delivered  my  message,  Bro.  A.  wished  to  speak. 
We  were  anxiously  waiting  to  hear,  and,  holding  our 


56  SIX  YEAES  WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

breath,  we  all  listened.  But  it  was  a  sad  beginning. 
The  poor  brother  told  the  people  to  leave  the  church, 
and  not  come  back  to  hear  me  any  more,  as  I  led  the 
people  astray.  These  were  moments  of  great  trial,  and 
if  the  Lord  had  not  been  the  General,  His  children 
should  have  been  defeated  that  moment.  Turning 
about  while  the  brother  was  yet  speaking,  I  said  with  a 
loud  voice  to  the  workers :  "  Brethren,  pray,  and  have 
faith."  Hardly  had  these  words  been  uttered  when  the 
pastor  turned  upon  us,  and  who  would  imagine  what 
followed  now  ?  I  arose,  and  being  filled  with  the  Spirit, 
threw  myself  on  his  neck,  and  weeping  bitterly,  I  cried  : 
"  Bro.  A.,  the  time  has  come  when  God  shall  open  thine 
eyes  and  thon  shalt  see  the  light."  The  whole  congre- 
gation, and  all  the  brethren,  were  in  tears.  The  salva- 
tion of  God  appeared  at  that  moment,  and  Bro.  A.,  just 
as  though  struck  by  lightning,  fell  down  at  Jesus'  feet, 
and  solemnly  prayed  God  to  help  him  —  to  open  his 
eyes  ;  and  give  him  a  clean  heart  —  a  heart  from  sin  set 
free  —  "a  heart  in  every  part  renewed  —  a  copy,  Lord, 
of  Thine."  The  lips  that  had  just  pronounced  the  ana- 
thema, now  were  pouring  forth  praise  and  blessings 
upon  Him  who  had  this  moment  done  the  work.  All 
the  workers  on  their  knees  about  our  dear  brother,  rose 
up,  and  while  remaining  in  this  position,  we  praised 
God  with  tears  in  our  eyes,  and  our  hearts  overflowing 
for  joy ;  and  embracing  each  other,  we  arose,  greet- 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  57 

ing  each  with  a  holy  kiss.  Now,  all  this  occurred  in 
the  sight  of  all  the  people,  Some  had  left  their  scats, 
but  remained  at  the  door  to  look  on  and  behold  the 
sight.  It  was  heaven  on  earth,  and  "  God  had  come  our 
souls  to  greet,  and  glory  crowned  the  mercy-seat." 

A  man  who  had  much  resisted  God,  had  said  to  Bro. 
A.,  when  he  took  the  platform  to  speak,  after  I  had 
closed  :  "  That's  right,  Bro.  A.,  now  give  it  to  him." 
He  who  had  thus  spoken,  ran  and  left  the  church  when 
the  sudden  change  took  place.  So,  many  flee  from  God 
at  a  time  when  God  would  save  them,  and  while  they 
stand  and  watch  and  see  others  actually  entering  the 
pearly  gates,  they  turn  their  backs  on  the  scene,  and 
enter  the  gates  of  hell.  Is  it  possible  !  Oh,  poor  de- 
luded souls  !  bewitched  by  the  devil !  shake  off  the 
viper  that  has  fastened  upon  thy  heart,  shake  it  off  into 
the  fire  of  God's  sin-consuming  love,  and  let  Him  set 
you  free  from  certain  death. 

From  that  day  the  ice  melted  away,  and  a  soft  breeze 
from  "  over  the  river "  began  to  refresh  the  faltering 
ones.  The  Lion  of  Judah  came  to  loosen  the  bands  of 
iniquity,  and  set  the  daughter  of  Zion  free,  and  a  mighty 
shout  rose  up  to  heaven  from  the  hearts  of  scores  who 
were  gloriously  saved  from  sin,  during  the  meetings 
that  now  followed.  When  the  people  on  the  following 
day,  heard  Bro.  A.'s  message  from  his  own  lips,  a  heart- 
felt "  Amen  !  "  rose  up  to  God. 


58  SIX   YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

The  following  Sabbath  the  Lord  sent  us  to  Rose  Hill 
and  was  pleased  to  save  five  precious  souls  at  our  first 
meeting,  and  in  course  of  a  few  days  the  Lord  had  call- 
ed about  forty  souls,  and  the  dead  heard  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  God,  and  His  children  were  in  healthy  con- 
dition to  remove  the  stones,  and  the  called  came  forth ; 
yea,  and  parents  were  enabled  to  take  off  the  "  grave- 
clothes  "  that  they  had  put  on  their  children,  and  there 
was  great  joy  all  over  the  country.  So  many  invitations 
came  that  we  had  to  shape  our  movements,  and  begin 
upon  a  regular  plan  of  battle.  Meetings  were  arranged 
for  in  many  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  the  fire 
was  burning  everywhere  round  about  us.  That  was  now 
in  July. 

FILLING  OUT  A  NUMBER  OF  BLANK  CHECKS. 

The  weather  had  become  quite  warm,  but  I  wore 
still  the  same  suit  of  clothes  that  I  wore  on  first  setting 
out  in  the  work,  and  it  was  made  for  winter.  Doing 
considerable  "knee  work,"  my  pantaloons  were  worn 
out  at  the  knees,  and  quite  thin  thereabouts.  Return- 
ing from  Rose  Hill  I  discovered  a  small  rent  across  the 
knees,  and  also,  that,  on  the  whole,  tilings  in  general 
would  soon  part  company.  It  was  the  only  suit  of 
clothes  that  were  in  my  possession,  and  until  now  had 
been  sufficient.  Seeing  how  matters  stood,  I  made 
haste  through  some  back  streets,  till  I  reached  my  lodg- 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  59 

ings,  which  was  at  the  house  of  Bro.  R.,  and  quickly 
running  up  stairs,  I  bowed  my  knees  once  more  before 
the  Heavenly  Father,  and  told  him  all  about  my  panta- 
loons, and  also  told  him  to  behold  the  plight  I  was  in ; 
and  I  filled  a  blank  check,  for  a  whole  suit  of  clothes. 
When  I  arose  I  knew  the  Lord  had  heard  me,  and 
hastened  down  stairs.  Bro.  R.  said  to  me,  stepping 

into  the  room,  "  I  have  just "  met  Bro. ,  from  Mt. 

Zion.  He  handed  me  some  money  for  you,  and  I  've 
been  thinking  you  need  a  light  coat,  and  so  I  went  at 
once  to  buy  some  alpaca,  and  here  it  is,  and  my  good 
wife  will,  with  great  pleasure,  cut  the  pattern  and 
make  it  for  you  at  once."  And,  unrolling  the  pack- 
age he  carried,  I  saw  some  very  nice  white  stuff 
in  the  same  parcel,  and  Bro.  R.,  holding  it  up  to  me, 
said:  "Now,  you  see,  when  I  bought  the  coat,  the  clerk 
in  the  store  asked, '  Is  this  for  you,  Bro.  R.  ? '  '  No,'  I 
said,  '  it  is  for  Bro.  Krauser.'  — '  Oh,  then  he  must 
have  a  waist-coat,  and  I  '11  measure  it  off,  and  please  ac- 
cept it  as  a  present.'  There  was  Bro. in  the  store, 

who  overheard  our  conversation,  and  stepping  up  he 
said, 4  If  you  give  Bro.  K.  a  white  vest,  he  ought  to  have 
two,  to  change  when  the  one  is  in  the  wash,  so  please 
measure  off  another,  and  I  '11  pay  for  it.'  You  see,  Bro. 
Krauser,"  continued  Bro.  R.,  "that  is  the  way  tilings 
come  about." 

I  did  not  say  anything,  —  my  heart  was  too  full.     I 


60  SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

bade  the  good  brother  good-night,  and  again  worship- 
ping the  Lord,  I  poured  out  my  heart,  and  felt  truly 
thankful  toward  Him  who  had  immediately  answered 
my  prayer.  While  I  had  been  praying,  the  Lord  had 
given  orders  at  once ;  now  I  said :  "  Lord,  my  panta- 
loons !" 

Meeting  Bro. 's  Sister  R.  in  the  morning,  I  found 

that  this  good  sister  had  been  working  until  quite  late 
last  night,  and  had  finished  the  coat,  and  nearly  finished 
one  waist-coat.  After  breakfast  and  family  prayer,  I 
put  on  my  new  coat  with  thankful  heart,  and  went  to 
the  post-office  to  mail  some  letters.  Passing  one  of  the 
stores  a  voice  called  me  back.  On  turning  I  recognized 

dear  Bro. ,  who  took  hold  of  my  hands  and  said : 

"Glad  to  meet  you  this  morning,  and  while  you  are 
handy  we  can  settle  the  business  at  once.  Bro.  Krau- 
ser,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  make  you  a  present  of  a  good 
pair  of  pantaloons.  You  select  the  cloth ;  a  tailor  has 
already  agreed  to  make  them  for  you,  free  of  charge, 
because  I  have  spoken  about  it  already." 

Now,  what  was  I  to  do  but  to  praise  the  Lord  silently 
in  my  heart,  and  do  as  I  was  bidden.  The  following 
day  I  was  in  possession  of  the  clothes ;  but  that  same  day, 
in  the  afternoon,  I  discovered,  to  my  horror,  that  the 
top-leather  of  one  of  my  boots  had  split,  and  the  white 
stocking  appeared  for  same  reason  to  get  a  peep  at  the 
light  of  the  day.  It  must  have  just  occurred,  for  all 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  61 

was  right  a  short  time  before.  Well,  long  enough  I  had 
worn  them,  and  why  did  I  not  at  once  include  boots  in 
my  petition  of  two  days  ago,  and  the  thing  would  not 
have  happened.  Looking  at  my  foot  in  pity,  I  learned 
a  lesson,  and  hurried  home.  • 

MARTIN  LUTHER'S  INK-BOTTLE.  —  A  COMPARISON. 

I  took  to  the  ink-bottle,  and  tried  my  skill  in  paint- 
ing a  certain  white  spot  black.  I  succeeded  pretty  well, 
but  in  doing  this  I  felt  somewhat  ashamed  for  not  claim- 
ing a  complete  suit  at  once,  a  few  days  before.  But  I 
had  not  thought.  The  Lord  give  me  a  "  clear  mind  and 
a  large  hand,"  always  !  However,  Satan  also  tried  to 
have  his  say  while  I  was  "  painting,"  —  suppose  the  ink 
drew  him.  "  Now,  you  are  nicely  treated,  —  if  you  go 
on  preaching  you  '11  soon  be  in  rags."  As  a  good 
Dutchman,  I  was  about  to  compare  Luther's  ink-bottle, 
with  the  one  in  my  hands;  but  quickly  the  thought 
came  that  Satan's  suggestion  was  not  worth  quite  so 
much  as  to  spoil  our  good  brother's  papered  wall :  and, 
—  throwing  the  black  coat  straight  into  his  hideous  face, 
it  knocked  him  quite  out  of  my  sight. 

Crying,  "  Praise  the  Lord !  "  I  got  my  boots,  too. 

I  left  the  house  with  Bro.  11 ,  and  preached  that 

evening  again  at  the church,  and  great  blessing 

attended  our  efforts. 

Now,  the  next  day  came  a  blessing  such  as  often  \v;is 


62  SIX   YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

my  portion,  from  the  hands  of  my  Heavenly  Saviour. 
While  up  town  I  saw  a  wagon  coming  down  the  street, 
and  I  thought  I  recognized  Bro.  C.,  from  Rose  Hill,  — • 
yes,  it  was  he.  Bro.  C.,  who  always  smiled  and  shone, 
and  who  always  had  his  mouth  "full  of  the  Canaan 
grapes,"  as  he  used  to  say,  jumped  off  the  wagon,  and 
we  greeted  each  other  with  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand, 
and  a  holy  kiss.  Then  he  said :  "  I  have  some  busi- 
ness to  attend  to,  and  if  you  will  accompany  me  I  shall 
be  very  glad."  I  consented,  and  soon  his  business  was 
finished.  Going  up  the  street  he  entered  a  boot  and  shoe 
store,  and  bought  a  pair  of  boots  for  himself ;  and  when 
he  had  put  them  on,  he  said :  "  Now,  Bro.  Krauser,  you 
select  a  pair  for  yourself,  and  accept  them  as  a  present 
from  me  in  the  Lord." 

Then,  soon  after,  when  we  were  alone,  I  told  Bro.  C. 
my  experience,  and  the  prayers,  and  how  God  had  been 
pleased  to  answer  these  petitions.  We  long  stood  and 
praised  the  Lord  for  His  wonderful  goodness  and  love 
towards  His  children,  and  the  ways  He  leads  those  who 
will  trust  Him  for  everything.  (Dear  Bro.  C.  is  now  in 
South  America,  preaching  and  teaching  in  connection 
with  Bishop  Taylor's  self-supporting  mission.  I  wonder 
what  he  will  say  when  he  shall  look  back  on  this  sweet 
experience  of  the  past  life,  and  see  that  the  Lord  has 
not  forgotten  his  labors  of  love.  "  Praise  the  Lord  !  " 
he  will  say,  while  his  large  blue  eyes  will  fill  with  tears 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  63 

"  Then  scatter  seeds  of  kindness, 
For  the  reaping  by-and-by." 

To  none  living  on  earth  were  intimations  of  my  needs 
made.  The  Lord  only  had  been  told,  and  He  did  an- 
swer in  His  own  way.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  for- 
ever !  The  flow  of  supplies  did,  however,  not  stop  here ; 
but,  as  with  one  common  consent,  the  people  brought 
shirts,  stockings,  handkerchiefs,  and  such  things  as  I 
stood  in  need  of. 

It-  was  now  the  ninth  of  July,  and  I  received  an  in- 
vitation, together  with  some  other  brethren,  to  take 

charge  of  a  camp-meeting  at  the  W grove.  The 

time  for  separation  had  come,  and  I  bade  my  many 
friends,  and  those  who  had  so  cheerfully  helped  in  the 
good  work,  a  hasty  farewell,  such  as  Bros.  Reynolds, 
Gebbhard,  Colburn,  Tansey,  and  others. 

No  collection  had  been  taken,  nor  had  any  person 
been  asked  to  contribute  a  mite ;  but  the  day  when 
starting  for  the  camp-meeting,  I  received  from  several 
sides  gifts  in  money  to  go  on  my  way,  and  it  proved  just 

sufficient  to  take  me  to  the  grounds.  At  B ,  in 

Ohio,  stopped  a  few  days,  preaching,  and  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  the  meetings  on  the  camp-ground  were  begun. 

The  Lord  blessed  us  much  there,  but  not  so  many 
were  brought  to  Jesus  as  we  well  might  have  expected. 
It  seemed  that  the  financial  scheme  had  quite  absorbed 
the  attention  of  those  leaders  who  had  called  the  meet- 


64  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

ing.  There  were  church  debts  and  preachers'  salaries 
to  be  considered,  and  it  much  hindered  the  soul-saving 
work.  It  was  hard  work  to  break  through,  and  all  felt 
it  so.  Yet  the  Lord  saved  some.  This  meeting  closed, 
and  with  it  rny  arrangements  for  the  future. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MY  FIRST  MEETING  WITH   BISHOP    TAYLOR  IN  1878.  — 
DAYTON  CAMP-MEETING. 

I  HAD  no  direct,  fixed  plans,  made  beforehand,  as  I 
always  left  open  a  space  for  the  Spirit  to  pus"h  in  His 
voice ;  and  just  before  leaving  the  camp  I  retired  to 
pray,  and  while  talking  with  Jesus,  it  occurred  to  me  to 
go  to  the  Dayton  Camp-meeting,  to  hear  others  preach, 
to  strengthen  my  own  heart,  and  gain  experience  by 
seeing  others  work ;  and,  of  course,  to  do  any  work  the 
Lord  might  wish  me  to  do.  When  this  question  was 
settled,  I  arose,  and  heard  at  the  same  time  some  one 
calling  out :  "  The  last  omnibus  to  the  station  !  "  I  ran 
to  the  tent,  snatched  up  my  satchel,  and  made  for  the 
omnibus,  for  it  had  already  started,  and  just  as  I  was 
jumping  up  behind,  one  inside  took  charge  of  my 
satchel,  and  another  person  running  up  to  the  moving 
omnibus,  pressed  something  soft  into  my  hand  and  hur- 
riedly left.  The  omnibus  was  soon  briskly  moving 
toward  the  railroad  station,  about  ten  miles  away,  and  I 
soon  opened  my  hand  and  found -that  it  was  a  five-dollar 
bill.  Not  until  now  did  it  occur  to  me  that  I  had  no 
other  money,  and  that  I  had  jumped  on  the  omnibus 
without  a  cent  in  my  pocket  to  pay  my  fare,  and  the 

65 


66  SIX   YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

fare  to  Dayton.  The  Lord  evidently  knew,  and  accord- 
ingly provided,  and  what  of  it  if  He  did  choose  to  pro- 
vide "just  in  the  nick  of  time?"  My  arrangement 
had  been  made  with  God,  from  the  beginning,  and  it 
had  become  natural  to  me  to  trust  —  like  breathing  the 
atmosphere  ;  and  once  clear  as  to  what  the  Lord  wanted 
me  to  do,  I  have  often  been  thus  wonderfully  led  to 
jump,  as  it  were,  at  a  moment's  notice,  into  the  omni- 
bus, the  Lord  kindly  moving  it  for  me,  so  as  to  take 
away  even  the  thought  of  a  doubt  —  not  giving  me 
time  except  just  to  take  hold,  and  see  the  salvation  of 
God.  It  is  hard  —  I  find  it  so,  at  least  —  to  explain 
such  experience ;  but  I  am  entirely  at  a  loss  to  express 
it.  I  only  know  thus  it  is,  and  trusting  God,  as  He  has 
led  me  to  trust  Him,  is  so  simple  and  easy,  so  natural  — 
it  is  simply  childlike ;  and  when  He  says  Himself,  "  Take 
no  thought,"  should  I  wonder  if  sometimes  the  Lord  so 
completely  hides  me  in  Himself  in  such  emergencies, 
and  takes  away  thought  for  the  time  being?  —  and 
then,  in  some  way,  I  return  to  consciousness,  and  open- 
ing my  hand,  find,  as  in  this  case,  a  five-dollar  bill  in 
my  hand.  It  is  truly  God  in  us,  helping  us  in  every 
way,  to  be  "  kept  in  perfect  peace ;  "  and  our  minds  are 
"  stayed  upon  Him,  because  we  trust  Him."  Yes,  it 
seems  to  be  a  taking  away  from  the  reality  outside,  for 
a  moment. 

The  money  I  had  received  was  just  sufficient  to  take 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  07 

me  to  Dayton.  It  was  there  that  I  first  saw  William 
Taylor.  He  had  recently  returned  from  South  Amer- 
ica,  and  he  was  illustrating  his  discourse  from  experi- 
ences gained  in  that  country.  (I  had  not  heard  of  this 
man  before  ;  but  I  listened  with  great  attention  to  what 
he  had  to  say,  and  I  thought  that  he  was  a  remarkable 
man,  but  never  for  a  moment  did  I  think  of  work  in 
other  lands.) 

The  Dayton  Camp-meeting  was  a  great  blessing  to 
me,  and  I  was  privileged  to  preach  several  times  on 
holiness,  in  the  tent,  and  God  owned  the  labors  of  His 
servant  in  a  signal  manner.  Preachers  and  laymen 
came  to  seek  the  great  blessing  of  sanctification  of  body 
and  soul.  One  waiter-boy  of  seventeen  used  to  stand 
behind  a  tree  and  listen  whenever  his  duties  did  not 
call  him ;  "  but,"  said  he,  on  being  asked  concerning 
his  soul,  "I  cannot  give  up  the  world."  One  day  I 
called  upon  the  brethren  to  go  apart  to  some  lonely 
spot,  and  there  pray  for  that  boy.  We  had  prayed  for 
about  half  an  hour,  when  close  behind  me  a  trembling 
voice  was  heard  to  pray  :  "  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me, 
a  sinner  !  "  and  soon  tears  of  repentance  flowed  freely  ; 
and  as  I  turned  to  help  the  poor  straggler,  because  he 
could  pray  no  more,  whom  should  I  behold  but  the  boy 
we  had  been  praying  for  ?  He  was  happily  converted, 
and  proved  to  be  genuine  after. 

One  pastor  came  into  our  little  circle,  and  kneeling 


68  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

down,  he  said :  "  I  shall  not  arise  until  God  has,  for 
Christ's  sake,  and  with  His  own  precious  blood,  cleansed 
my  heart  from  all  sin,  and  made  me  whole."  He  found 
peace  and  cleansing  in  believing.  Then  came  days  of 
power,  and  what  the  dear  Lord  has  done  there  for  the 
perishing  world  and  lukewarm  Christians,  can  never  be 
told.  Only,  "  Praise  God !  "  can  I  say,  and,  lost  in 
astonishment  and  in  admiration  of  Him  who  has  come 
to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,  I  go  on  my  way 
rejoicing. 

A  VISIT  TO  THE  PLACE  or  MY  BIRTH. 

When  the  meeting  closed,  I  made  a  special  request 

that  the  Lord   might  permit   me   to  go  to  C ,  the 

place  of  my  spiritual  birth.  I  longed  to  see  my  old 
friends,  and  tell  them  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  me. 
"  If,  Lord,  it  is  Thy  will,  send  me  the  money  to  go  to 
C ,"  were  the  last  words  in  my  prayer.  Much  as- 
sured that  the  Lord  would  grant  me  my  petition,  I  arose 
and  soon  met  several  persons,  who,  taking  leave  and 
bidding  me  God-speed,  pressed  each  some  money 
into  my  hands  —  again  the  amount  necessary  to  permit 

me  to  go  to  C ;  not  anything  above  it. 

-  On  the  seventh  of  August  I  arrived  at  C ,  and 

then  soon  met  the  brother  who,  under  God,  together 
with  a  good  sister,  were  the  instruments  in  leading  me 
out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  69 

unto  God.  Both  Bro.  TV.  and  Sister  J.  were  so  glad  to 
see  me,  and  I  was  at  once  introduced  to  the  pastor  of 
N.  Chapel,  who,  for  the  following  Sabbath,  engaged  me 
to  preach  for  him. 

My  text  was  1  Cor.  iii.  1.  Subject :  "  The  carnal  mind 
in  believers."  After  the  service  had  been  closed,  the  dear 
pastor  felt  sure  that  I  was  altogether  wrong  in  my 
views  on  that  chapter.  I  felt  exceedingly  sorry ;  but  I 
was  as  sure  as  he,  and  did  not  change  my  opinion  con 
cerning  it.  Thus  battles  were  fought  and  victories 
won  continually;  but  it  always  made  me  feel  so  heavy 
when  dear  Methodist  preachers  would  tell  me  that  they 
opposed  the  doctrine  of  perfect  love.  They  were,  as  a 
rule,  much  older  than  myself,  and  so  I  could  only  pray 
God  that  the  time  would  come  when  the  Methodist 
clergy  would,  to  say  the  least,  abide  by  the  M.  E.  Dis- 
cipline as  touching  the  doctrine  of  holiness ;  and  God 
in  His  mercy  would  surely  lead  them  to  "  search  the 
Scriptures,"  as  to  whether  these  things  be  so,  and  sanc- 
tify and  purify  them,  and  endue  them  with  power  from 
on  high. 

In  the  evening  service  this  dear  brother  preached 
against  the  theory,  and  took  for  a  text  the  words  found 
in  1  Cor.  ii.  9,  which  reads  as  follows :  "  Eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them 
that  love  Him."  From  such  a  text  to  disprove  the 


70  SIX   YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

possibility  of  the  present  enjoyment  of  perfect  love,  is 
always  a  failure  ;  and  leaving  the  church,  several  dear 
people  came  to  me  and  said :  "  Don't  be  troubled,  dear 
brother,  we  also  feel  sorry  that  our  dear  pastor  kept  the 
cream,  and  gave  us  skim-milk,  for  he  left  out  the  pre- 
cious word  of  the  following  verse  (v.  10),  '  But  God 
hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  His  Spirit.'  We  will 
pray  for  him,"  continued  the  brethren. 

Was  not  this  a  noble  Christian  spirit  ?  Yes,  pray  for 
him.  If  it  was  not  for  such  within  the  church  who  see 
better  than  their  pastor,  many  a  church  would  have 
been  closed  up  and  sold  by  auction  in  the  different 
parts  of  the  vineyard.  They  resolved  to  stand  by  this 
pastor  and  pray.  That  was  a  good  resolution.  Amen ! 
So  may  all  do  for  the  pastor  who  is  not  yet  in  the  light 
of  holiness.  Many  souls  are  being  cheated  by  getting 
chaff  instead  of  wheat.  The  Lord  save  His  people,  and 
give  power  to  His  saints  to  tell  the  story  of  complete 
deliverance,  that  others  may  hear  and  be  glad. 

Bro.  W.  then  invited  me  to  attend  the  L Camp- 
meeting,  which  I  did, 

His  GRACE  ALL-SUFFICIENT. 

The  Lord  there  saw  fit  to  permit  a  great  trial  to  be- 
fall me,  which  in  the  end  proved  to  be  a  good,  which 
God  intended  for  me.  I  had  taken  some  meals  with 
Bro.  W.  in  a  tent  which  was  occupied  by  another  Chris- 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  71 

tian  family.  One  day  I  was  not  called  to  take  my  din- 
ner, but  the  good  brother  came  out  to  me,  and,  handing 
me  fifty  cents,  told  me  to  go  to  the  boarding-tent  and 
get  a  meal  there.  He  looked  sad  and  he  saw  that  I  had 
noticed  it,  and  before  I  asked  a  question,  the  brother 
took  me  aside  and  said :  "  The  children  of  that  family 
in  the  tent  refuse  to  eat  with  you  at  the  same  table,  be- 
cause they  knew  you  before  your  conversion  to  have 
been  a  great  sinner." 

I  begged  dear  Bro.  W.  to  leave  me  for  a  time.  I  de- 
sired to  be  alone.  It  was  all  that  I  could  say.  On 
what  now  passed  between  me  and  my  God,  I  will  draw 
a  curtain,  and  say  only  this:  I  wept  bitterly,  oh,  how 
bitterly !  My  past  life  rose  up  before  me,  and  the  sins 
of  that  life  rose  up  once  more  to  my  vision  as  in  the 
days  when  I  repented,  some  years  ago.  My  heart  bled, 
and  I  cried  to  God  to  keep  me  in  perfect  peace,  and  to 
give  me  a  glorious  victory.  Yes,  it  was  a  victory  beyond 
description.  There  was  no  feeling  of  ill-will  toward 
those  who  refused  to  eat  with  me.  Yes,  I  felt  that  I 
was  the  unworthiest  of  creatures,  but  through  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  Jesus,  made  the  child  of  a  King,  and 
made  to  sit  down  in  heavenly  places.  The  hand  of 
Jesus  raised  me  up  from  my  knees,  and  such  sweet 
peace  and  joy  entered  my  heart !  oh,  so  sweet  and  so 
comforting,  that  I  was  lost  in  wonder,  and  thanked  God 
for  the  trial.  It  humbled  me  anew  before  God,  and  He 


73  SIX   YEARS    WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

enabled  me  to  see,  through  the  dark  cloud,  the  lesson, 
how  good  it  is  to  be  humbled  at  times,  when  we  are  in 
the  midst  of  successful  Christian  work,  and  winning 
victories  for  Jesus  on  all  sides.  Oh,  how  I  feel  to  thank 
the  blessed  Jesus  for  His  goodness  to  me !  Only  one 
question  arose  in  my  mind  which  made  me  sad  again. 
It  was,  Are  those  poor  souls  in  that  tent  the  Lord's  be- 
loved ?  I  trust  and  pray  we  may  one  day  meet  in  heav- 
en around  God's  white  throne,  and  meet  as  those  who 
have  come  up  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  washed  our 
robes  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

The  Lord  had  much  work  for  rne  in  other  parts  of 
the  camp-ground,  and  when  on  the  following  day  I  was 
hungry,  I  prayed  to  God  for  food,  and,  walking  through 
the  thousands  of  visitors,  I  cast  my  eyes  for  a  moment 
to  the  ground,  and  just  then  I  saw  something  glittering 
in  the  sun,  and  stooping  down,  I  held  in  my  hand  a 
twenty-five  cent  piece.  This  was  invested  in  food,  and 
it  being  near  the  close  of  the  meeting,  I  took  leave  of 
Bro.  W.  and  walked  to  an  Allbright  camp-meeting.  I 
desired  to  get  acquainted  with  them.  It  was  a  days' 

journey  from  L ,  but  I  had  just  prayed  the  Lord  to 

give  me  a  pleasant  journey,  when  a  buggy  passed  by, 
and  a  pleasant-looking  man  asked  me  whether  I  wished 
to  have  a  ride.  Consent  was  given,  and  I  found  the 
man  was  not  a  Christian.  When  I  told  him  how  I  had 
just  been  praying  while  walking  along  the  road,  the  man 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  To 

was  much  affected,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  become  a 
Christian.  We  rode  together  for  some  hours,  and  the 
Lord  had  a  word  for  this  man's  soul.  I  trust  to  meet 
him  in  heaven. 

I  soon  was  at  the  camp-ground,  and  the  man  with 
whom  I  rode  had  taken  another  road.  I  was  well  re- 
ceived by  some  of  the  brethren,  but  found  the  "  cloth 
had  been  cut  already."  The  time  was  taken  up  by 
workers  of  their  own  denomination,  and  no  chance  given 
me  to  preach.  However,  the  Lord  used  me  the  follow- 
ing day  to  work  at  the  altar.  The  day  after  I  left  the 
camp-ground,  and  making  my  way  to  the  nearest  railroad 

station,  I  there  met  Bro.  W.,  of  C ,  who  paid  my 

passage  to  C .  Stopping  there  the  second  time, 

the  Lord  added  many  souls  to  His  church. 

On  the  25th  of  August  I  received  a  note  to  go  to 

S ,  Bro.  Birdsall's  charge,  to  hold  meetings  there  for 

the  promotion  of  holiness,  together  with  some  other 
brother  of  the  Ohio  Holiness  Alliance.  Bro.  B.  had 
just  accepted  a  call  to  South  America,  to  the  Isthmus, 
to  work  under  AVilliam  Taylor. 

I  there  heard  more  about  Taylor's  work,  and  one  day 
Bro.  B.  asked  me  plainly :  "Would  you  go  to  South 
America  if  you  were  called  ?  "  —  "  If  called  of  God,  I 
should  obey,"  was  my  answer,  "  but  as  yet  I  do  not 
know  of  such  a  call."  The  matter  was  dropped,  and 
the  meetings  continued  for  some  days.  The  Lord  con- 


74  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

verted  and  sanctified  a  few,  and  the  hours  with  Bro. 
Birdsall  and  his  good  wife  were  seasons  of  great  bless- 
ing. (Bro.  B.  went  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He 
was  the  first  missionary  that  was  sent  to  South  America 
by  William  Taylor.  He  worked  too  hard,  and  God  took 
him  after  he  had  been  with  his  flock  but  a  few  months.) 
On  the  4th  of  September  there  was  a  camp-meeting 

at  M ,  which  I  attended,  and  the  Lord  used  me  there 

in  various  ways  to  lead  seekers  to  Jesus,  and  give  testi- 
mony for  Him  in  the  different  meetings. 

STRUCK  IN  THE  FACE. —  GLORY  AND  PRAISE. 

"While  there,  a  woman  who  had  been  mightily  con- 
victed of  sin,  came  to  me  after  the  meeting  and  said : 
"  Sir,  I  saw  you  looking  at  me  in  the  hall,  and  I  wanted 
to  know  whether  you  meant  me  with  what  you  said, 
when  you  were  preaching.  Do  you  mean  me,  sir,  or 
not  ?  "  —  "  My  dear  woman,  I  do  not  know  you  —  never 
met  you  before,  but  if  you  are  '  hit '  I  dare  say  the  Lord 
intended  His  message  for  you,  for,  indeed,  I  preached  to 
the  unsaved,  and  surely  meant  them  in  particular  who 
still  live  in  sin." 

At  this  explanation  the  poor  woman  became  quite 
angry,  and  before  I  knew  it  she  had  struck  me  with  her 
fist.  I  threw  up  my  hands,  and  clapping  them,  I  shout- 
ed :  "  Glory  to  God  !  Glory  to  God !  "  and  was,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  so  filled  with  joy  that  for  a  time  I 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  75 

forgot  rny  surroundings.  When  I  looked  about  me 
again  I  saw  some  of  the  brethren  standing  near,  but  the 
woman  was  gone.  Poor  thing !  got  scared,  no  doubt ; 
perhaps  she  expected  a  fight,  and  in  that  case  I  believe 
she  would  have  stood  like  a  man,  for  she  looked  quite 
determined  to  make  me  answer ;  but  this  was,  evidently, 
too  much  for  her  — she  could  not  stand  when  God  was 
speaking.  Poor  souj.:  I  was  blessed  and  she  was  not. 
God  be  praised  for  a  living  Jesus  within  the  soul. 

IN  A  PRISON. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  meeting,  out  at  the  camp, 
the  Lord  called  me  to  visit  the  county  prison.  Some 
sisters  accompanied  me,  and  God  was  with  us  in  great 
power.  From  cell  to  cell  we  went  and  invited  the  poor 
captives  out  into  the  court-yard  to  hear  the  preaching 
of  God's  word.  Some  excused  themselves,  saying  they 
needed  nothing.  Quite  innocent,  I  presumed.  Others 
were  playing  cards,  others  reading,  —  however,  some 
came  out  to  hear  us.  While  yet  speaking  I  saw  a  tall, 
strongly-built  man,  leaning  his  forehead  against  the  iron 
bars  of  a  window,  and  soon  I  saw  how  hard  he  tried  to 
conceal  his  features,  for  the  tears  were  trickling  down 
his  cheeks,  and  wet  the  dingy  pavement  at  his  feet. 
When  the  meeting  closed,  and  a  sister  offered  the  last 
prayer,  loud  sobs  were  heard  to  proceed  from  the  quar- 
ter where  the  man  stood.  I  walked  up  to  him,  but  he 


76  SIX   YEARS    WITH    WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

did  not  look  up  —  he  wept.  Then,  placing  my  hand  on 
his  shoulder  and  trying  to  look  into  his  eyes,  he  said : 
"  Oh,  do  not  look  at  me !  I  am  a  poor,  lost  sinner." 
Then  I  told  him  that  he  was  just  the  man  whom  Jesus 
came  to  save.  His  looks  changed,  and  the  poor  man 
looked  at  me  and  exclaimed :  "  Oh,  is  this  true  ?  Do 
you  think  God  would  have  mercy  on  me  now,  while  I 
am  in  prison  ?  "  —  "  Sin  has  brought  you  to  this  place, 
and  God  alone  is  able  to  bring  you  out  of  Satan's  prison, 
and  if  you  truly  repent  and  believe  the  record  that  God 
gives  concerning  His  Son,  and  make  an  unreserved  sur- 
render of  yourself  to  Him,  He  is  willing  to  save  you 
this  moment." 

The  man  sank  down  upon  his  knees,  and  then,  before 
we  left  the  prison,  was  made  to  rejoice  in  the  Saviour. 
(Just  before  leaving  the  country  I  received  a  letter  from 
this  man,  in  which  he  states  that  he  had  soon  been  dis- 
charged from  prison,  and  obtained  employment,  and  that 
he  had  connected  himself  with  the  church.) 

After  once  more  preaching  to  the  people  at  M , 

on  the  public  square,  from  an  old  shoe-box,  I  received 
another  call  to  go  to  Union  City  and  Rose  Hill.  The 
work  about  there  had  been  continued  after  my  depart- 
ure, and  the  brethren  wanted  help  for  a  season,  for  God 
had  prepared  the  field.  In  the  morning  of  the  next 
day  I  attended  the  closing  of  a  meeting,  when  I  felt  I 
must  be  going,  if  the  train  should  not  start  without  me. 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  77 

The  brethren  knew  about  my  going,  and  so  I  arose  from 
my  knees  during  prayer  offered  by  several  workers,  and 
on  tip-toe,  made  my  way  through  those  kneeling  about 
me.  One  sister  seeing  me  go,  took  hold  of  my  hand,  and 
pressed  a  few  bright  dollars  into  it,  and  without  rising 
from  her  knees  or  saying  a  word,  we  parted,  and  soon  I 
sat  in  the  cars.  This  sister  had  given  me  enough  to  pay 
my  passage  to  Union  City.  Now,  Lord,  just  in  good 
time !  I  had  no  money  when  I  rose  from  prayer,  but  I 
had  had  a  talk  just  then  Avith  Jesus,  and  I  knew  in  some 
way  He  would  provide ;  however,  I  never  thought  it 
would  come  from  any  one  engaged  in  prayer,  and  while 
kneeling ;  but  our  thoughts  are  surely  not  God's 
thoughts  in  such  tilings,  and  He  often,  in  a  most  pleas- 
ant way,  shames  us  if  we  have  had  any  thoughts  about 
the  "  how." 

The  joy  of  meeting  the  loved  ones  once  more,  was 
great,  and  "  to  work,"  was  the  word  again.  To  relate 
the  experiences  of  this  second  campaign,  is  quite  be- 
yond possibility.  If  we  had  blessings  before,  they  came 
in  greater  power  this  time,  and  soon  the  Lord  had  thirty 
souls  saved  at  Rose  Hill,  and  five  more  in  one  day's 
meeting  at  Mount  Zion  Church. 

JUSTIFICATION  AND  SANCTIFICATION  INSIDE  OF  FIF- 
TEEN MINUTES. 

Here  is  the  experience  of  a  dear  sister.     For  several 


78  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOK 

days  she  had  come  to  the  altar,  but  could  find  no  peace. 
When  the  meetings  were  closed  at  Rose  Hill,  she  fol- 
lowed to  a  chapel  some  five  miles  distant.  When  there 
the  altar  was  crowded  with  seekers,  and  she  was  one  of 
them.  But  there  she  was  enabled  to  make  a  full  sur- 
render of  herself  to  God,  and  was  caused  to  rejoice  ex- 
ceedingly. Speaking  with  her  I  found  her  very  clear, 
and  her  testimony  was  the  "  shibboleth  "  unmistakably 
correct.  Passing  on  to  other  seekers,  and  helping  as  far 
as  I  could,  together  with  other  workers,  my  attention 
was  soon  called  to  the  other  end  of  the  bench,  and  I  saw 
the  sister  just  spoken  of,  in  deep  thought,  her  head  hung 
upon  her  hands ;  she  was  evidently  troubled.  Thinking 
that  the  enemy  was  trying  to  get  the  poor  sister  to 
doubt  her  acceptance,  I  bowed  down  and  asked,  "  Sis- 
ter, what  is  it  you  are  thinking  about  ?  "  Looking  up, 
she  said,  solemnly :  "  Bro.  K.,  you  have  been  preaching 
holiness,  and  I  have  heard  you  so  often  ;  and  the  Lord 
has  just  now  been  showing  me,  while  here,  the  distinc- 
tion between  sins  forgiveli  and  sins  cleansed,  and  it  cor- 
responds with  my  inner  condition ;  and  knowing  pos- 
itively my  sins  forgiven,  I  now  desire  the  cleansing  from 
all  indwelling  corruption.  I  see  it  clearly,  dear  brother, 
and  now  tell  me,  can  I  not  receive  it  now  ?  "  and  with 
tearful  eyes  she  watched  my  reply. 

"  Yes,  God  will  do  all  He  has  engaged  Himself  to  do 
for  us,  according  to  His  promise.     Ask  and  you  shall 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  79 

receive,  and  —  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all 
sin." 

This  being  the  first  case  of  the  kind  in  my  experience 
with  seekers,  I  looked  forward  with  some  curiosity  as  to 
the  outcome  of  this  before  me.  I  desired  to  see  the 
salvation  of  the  Lord,  and  accordingly  said  but  little. 
However,  there  was  no  doubt  raised  with  my  feelings, 
and  soon  we  all  beheld  what  God  could  do  for  the  hun- 
gry soul.  God  came  to  bless  that  sister.  There  was 
not  that  outward  manifestation  of  great  joy,  as  wit- 
nessed fifteen  minutes  ago,  when  this  sister  received  the 
knowledge  of  sins  forgiven ;  but  a  deep  peace  took  pos- 
session of  her  soul,  and  scarcely  above  a  whisper  she 
was  heard  to  say,  "Now  the  Lord  also  sanctifieth  me 
wholly :  His  blood  cleanseth  me  from  all  sin.  Thanks 
be  to  God  for  a  pure  heart !  "  Then,  after  a  time,  she 
broke  out  in  tears  of  joy,  and  praised  God  with  a  loud 
voice. 

Now  I  believe  this  is  God's  intention,  to  first  pardon 
and  then  cleanse ;  and  let  no  man  set  space  of  time,  for 
God  can  and  will  save,  if  but  the  teaching  on  .those 
subjects  be  clear,  and  sinners  receive  both  doctrines 
from  the  pulpit,  and  are  properly  assisted  when  seeking 
the  Lord.  Truly  hath  the  Lord  showed  us  His  glory 
and  His  power  to  save. 

In  March,  1879,  when  laboring  in  South  America,  I 
received  a  copy  of  the  Harvester,  where  a  Bro.  W., 


80  SIX  YEAHS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

who  was  present  at  that  meeting,  made  the  same  state- 
ments as  above  to  that  paper,  and  adds  the  following : 
"  Here  we  have  justification  and  sanctification  both,  in- 
side of  fifteen  minutes.  A  short  growth,  is  it  not? 
This  winter  this  sister  had  bleeding  of  the  lungs. 
While  at  her  home  I  saw  on  one  side  of  her  bed,  two 
sick  children,  while  on  the  other  lay  the  mother,  gasp- 
ing for  breath.  Her  lungs  were  fast  filling  with  blood, 
and  in  a  short  time  she  could  not  breathe,  and  it  took 
two  of  us  to  hold  her.  She  finally  sank  back  upon  her 
pillow,  and  while  we  knelt  in  prayer,  I  could  hear  her 
clap  those  feeble  hands  and  "whisper  :  '  Jesus  !  Jesus  ! 
Jesus  ! '  On  a  similar  occasion  she  was  alone  with  a 
young  lady,  who  ran  out  of  doors.  When  the  strug- 
gling could  be  heard  no  more,  the  young  lady  entered, 
supposing  to  find  the  sufferer  dead ;  but  in  astonish- 
ment found  her  alive.  She  asked  her  :  '  Were  you  not 
afraid  to  die  ?  '  To  this  Sister  C.  replied  :  '  No,  to  die 
is  gain  for  me.  Glory  to  God  !  '  Truly  a  holiness 
testimony.  Amen." 

At  the  Dayton  Camp-meeting,  I  met  a  woman  who 
told  me  she  had  the  blessing  of  holiness  as  revealed  in 
the  Bible  at  the  moment  of  conversion ;  but  this  good 
woman  at  times  got  so  angry  that  some  thought  she 
needed  her  sins  forgiven ;  and  then  she  contended 
that  everybody  gets  angry,  making  it  appear  as 
though  the  Lord  leaves  at  least  that  much  of  the  carnal 


IN   SOUTH    AMERICA.  81 

mind  to  trouble  us.  Now,  thus  to  fight,  and  struggle, 
and  live,  some  think  to  be  the  "  Christian  warfare,"  con- 
founding it  with  Paul's  fight,  "  fight  the  good  fight  of 
faith."  Thank  God !  He  can  take  away  anger,  and, 
under  all  circumstances  under  heaven,  keep  us  saved, 
through  the  mighty  baptism  of  perfect  love.  But  it  is 
a  great  pity  that  so  many,  like  the  son  in  the  parable, 
instead  of  believing  the  word  of  the  Father  —  "  Son, 
all  that  I  have  is  thine,"  —  and  taking  it,  they  go  out 
into  the  barn  or  pig-sty,  pouting  it  out.  Well,  those 
who  go  in  with  the  Father  see  how  prodigals  are  brought 
home,  and  enjoy  the  feast.  John  was  of  the  kind  filled 
with  love,  and  thus  was  blessed  in  bringing  souls  to 
Jesus,  and  seeing  the  wanderers'  home,  and  then  he 
could  say :  "  I  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  see  my  chil- 
dren walk  in  the  truth." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

MT  CALL  TO  SOUTH  AMERICA.  — A  LETTER  FROM  WIL- 
LIAM   TAYLOR. 

October,  1878.  —  I  was  just  about  to  make  arrange- 
ment for  other  meetings,  for  a  Bro.  C.  sent  me  word  to 
take  charge  of  a  ten-days'  meeting,  and  a  German 
pastor  asked  me  to  preach  in  his  church.  For  some 
time  it  had  been  my  wish  to  preach  in  my  native  tongue, 
and  I  often  wondered  why  it  was  that  the  Lord  never 
opened  the  way  for  me  to  enter  the  German  work ;  but 
as  it  was,  I  had  never  yet  preached  in  German,  and  for 
that  reason  my  answer  to  this  pastor  was  :  "  God  will- 
ing, I  shall  come."  To  Bro.  C.  I  wrote  the  same : 
"  God  willing,  I  shall  come."  But  the  Lord  had  made 
other  arrangements  for  me.  I  was  just  making  prepar- 
ations to  attend  the  calls  I  had  received,  when,  to  my 
great  surprise,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Taylor.  The  letter  was  read  with  the  greatest  care  — 
read  and  re-read.  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes.  The 
letter  was  very  short,  and  in  substance  contained  the 

following :  — 

TORONTO,  CANADA,  Oct.  27. 

Dear  Bro.  Barchwitz-Krauser,  —  The  other  day  I  sent  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Birdsall  to  Aspinwall.    He  told  me  something  about  you,  and 
after  praying  about  the  matter,  I  was  satisfied  that  you  are  my  man. 
82 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  83 

The  Lord  wants  you  to  go  to  South  America  in  my  self-supporting 
missions,  and  preach  on  faith  line  to  the  Germans  in  the  south  of 
Chili,  your  own  country  people.  Are  you  ordained  an  elder,  or  local 
preacher  in  the  church  ?  Write. 

Yours  in  Christ, 

WM.  TAYLOR. 

I  at  once  suspended  my  preparations  to  go  to  my  ap- 
pointments and  gave  myself  to  prayer  for  several  days, 
— prayer  and  fasting.  It  came  so  suddenly  upon  me  — 
so  unexpectedly  —  that  I  did  not  know  how  to  look  up- 
on or  to  face  the  question ;  but  the  Lord  helped  me. 
The  brethren  were  consulted,  praying  much  over  it.  Had 
the  Lord  been  preparing  me  for  the  self-supporting  mis- 
sions of  William  Taylor?  The  question  came  to  me 
again  and  again.  Does  God  want  me  to  go  ?  By  prayer 
and  fasting  and  waiting  for  God  to  speak  to  my  soul,  I 
received,  after  a  hard  struggle,  a  definite  answer,  and  I 
believe  that  God  had  been  preparing  me  for  Taylor's 
self-supporting  mission  all  the  time,  and  I  knew  God 
wanted  me  to  go.  I  wrote  only  a  few  lines  to  Will- 
iam Taylor,  saying :  — 

Dear  Dro.  Taylor,  —  I  have  prayed  to  God,  and  it  is  clear  the  Lord 
wants  me  to  go.  I  say  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  "  Here,  Lord, 
am  I  :  send  me." 

In  a  few  days  an  answer  came,  and  Bro.  Taylor  asked  : 
"  Do  you  need  money  to  go  to  New  York  ?  You  must 
be  there  in  November.  Steamer  Acapulco  leaves  the 
latter  part  of  that  month." 


84  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

I  wrote  back  :  "  (D.  V.)  shall  be  in  New  York  in  time. 
Do  n't  want  you  to  send  me  any  money.  I  had  better 
keep  on  the  self-supporting  line,  and  pray  God  for  the 
means  to  go,  and  accept  it  of  Him  as  another  token  of 
His  favor.  I  am  a  local  preacher  in  theM.  E.  Church." 

A  VISIT  FROM  WILLIAM  TAYLOR. 

Soon  another  letter  came  to  my  hands,  from  William 
Taylor,  stating  that  he  was  on  a  hasty  trip  to  Indianap- 
olis, and  would  cut  across  to  Union  City,  and  there 
would  wish  to  see  me  personally.  The  appointed  time 
came,  and  Father  Taylor  emerged  from  the  ear.  I  knew 
him  because  of  seeing  him  at  the  Dayton  camp-meeting, 
and  so  stepped  up  at  once  and  took  his  hand.  Father 
T.  looked  at  me  for  a  moment,  and  kissed  me.  "  So  you 
are  my  Dutchman?"  he  said.  "And  a  child  of  the 
King,"  was  my  answer. 

Father  Taylor  was  taken  up  to  the  house  of  one  of 
the  brethren,  where  he  stopped  over  night.  The  time 
was  spent  in  much  useful  conversation  concerning  South 
America.  We  also  had  much  singing  and  prayer.  The 
following  morning,  this,  as  I  thought,  remarkable  man, 
took  his  departure. 

There  was  something  in  all  his  movements  and  man- 
ners, and  in  all  he  said  or  sang,  that  impressed  me  deep- 
ly, and  something  I  had  not  noticed  in  any  body  else  ; 
and  yet  he  seemed  so  humble  and  childlike,  though  pos- 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  85 

sessed  with  a  certain  grandeur  becoming  to  royalty,  — 
becoming  to  a  son  "  of  the  man  who  made  the  world," 
as  he  used  to  say.  To  say  it :  I  fell  in  love  with  Father 
Taylor. 

Now,  when  this  thing  was  noised  abroad,  I  received 
letters  from  many  friends,  with  words  of  encouragement, 
and  many  gifts  were  sent  to  me,  of  such  things  as  I 
needed,  such  as  articles  for  wear.  One  good  sister 
made  me  a  present  of  homething  very  useful.  It  con- 
sisted of  different  kinds  of  thread,  needles,  pins,  and 
buttons,  and  a  neat  cloth  case,  containing  the  whole. 
How  the  Lord  blessed  me  in  sending  me  these  tokens 
of  Christian  love !  Also,  I  received  sufficient  money  to 
take  ine  to  New  York,  and  on  my  arrival  there  had 
something  left.  The  parting  was  very  affecting ;  but 
the  light  of  the  Spirit  dispersed  the  gloom.  On  my  ar- 
rival in  New  York,  I  found  a  letter  addressed  to  me, 
which  read  as  follows,  in  substance :  — 

Dear  Sir  and  Brother,  —  Understanding,  through  the  periodicals, 
that  the  Rev.  William  Taylor  lias  engaged  you  to  go  to  South  Amer- 
ica, and  presuming  that  no  provision  has  been  made  to  pay  your  pas- 
sage, I  herewith  enclose  check  for  $333.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear 

from  you  at  any  time. 

Yours  in  Christ, 
Indiana.  D.  P. 

Father  Taylor  did  not  tell  me  how  I  would  get  my 
passage  to  South  America,  but  he  said  that  very  prob- 
ably 1  should  find  some  letter  of  further  instruction  at 


86  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

805  Broadway,  New  York ;  and  reading  the  foregoing 
letter,  it  is  plain  that  Bro.  T.  did  not  know  who  was  to 
be  the  instrument  in  God's  hand  to  send  the  passage 
money ;  and  that  when  he  engaged  me,  he  had  not  the 
money  in  hand,  no  transit  fund  being  in  existence 
yet. 

Thus  God  prepared  and  called  me  to  go  to  South 
America,  under  Bishop  Taylor. 

While  waiting  in  New  York,  I  had  the  privilege  of 
preaching  in  some  of  the  churches,  in  the  pulpits  and 
class-rooms,  and  also  to  labor  at  the  altar  during  meetings 
held  by  Mrs.  VanCott,  who  was  in  New  York  at  the 
time.  There  I  was  kept  busily  engaged  up  to  the  last 
evening  before  steamer  sailing,  I  also  received  another 
letter  from  Father  Taylor,  in  which  he  informs  me  that 
Mr.  Henry  Hoffman,  of  Berea,  Ohio,  and  wife,  were  to 
go  by  same  steamer  to  South  America,  and  enter  the 
German  work,  —  they  to  work  in  the  ^Province  of  Llan- 
quihue,  and  I  to  the  City  of  Valdivia. 

LEAVING  FOR  SOUTH  AMERICA. 
The  day  for  departure  arrived,  and  Bro.  Hoffman  and 
wife  came  on  board.  Many  friends  came  to  see  us  off. 
Thus  we  embarked  on  board  the  Acapulco,  on  the  80th 
November,  1878,  and  as  the  steamer  left  the  pier,  we  all 
sang,  "  I  've  reached  the  land  of  corn  and  wine."  We 
went  to  preach  a  full  Gospel  to  the  people  of  South 
America. 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  87 

The  first  three  days  out  we  encountered  a  terrific 
storm,  and  it  was  a  grand  sight  to  us.  The  mighty  waves 
rose  like  mountains  about  us  and  beneath  us,  lifting  the 
ship  and  tossing  her,  for  a  few  moments,  as  it  were,  into 
the  air,  which  caused  her  to  tremble  like  a  leaf ;  but 
then  she  gracefully  sunk  down  into  the  valley  of  the 
raging  ocean,  and  then  it  would  seem  for  a  moment  as 
if  the  mountains  of  water  above  us  had  combined  to 
swallow  up  the  ship  and  her  living  freight.  But  we 
were  safe,  and  without  fear  we  beheld  the  grand  sight. 
Now  and  then  a  huge  wave  would  sweep  the  decks. 
At  such  times  we  were  out  of  harm's  way.  The  cap- 
tain understood  the  weather,  and  by  his  orders  we  had 
then  to  remain  below.  Then  came  the  fine  weather, 
and  warm,  and  just  the  day  before  anchoring  in  the 
harbor  of  Colon,  the  captain  of  our  steamer  permitted 
us  to  see  a  sight  which  greatly  contributed  to  our  con- 
fidence in  him.  The  fire-bell  was  rung,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  every  man  of  the  crew  was  at  his  post.  Then 
we  saw,  when  these  exercises  were  over,  how  the  cap- 
tain slyly  cut  one  of  the  life-buoys,  fastened  to  the  rail- 
ing, and  the  signal  followed :  "  Man  overboard  !  "  Now 
followed  the  spectacle  that  was  so  interesting.  In  a 
surprisingly  short  time,  one  of  the  boats  was  lowered 
and  manned,  and  shot  out  after  the  buoy,  floating  ni-ar 
the  steamer,  and  as  quickly  brought  it  on  board.  Tliis 
was  done  in  such  a  short  time,  that  all  on  board  felt 


88  SIX  YEAES   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOE 

satisfied  it  would  not  have  given  time  to  a  person  falling 
overboard  to  drown.  So  much  for  this  captain  and  his 
crew,  —  and  how  about  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  — • 
Jesus  Christ  ?  Surely,  He  is  not  only  willing  to  save, 
but  He  is  ready,  with  His  own  hands,  to  save  those  who, 
without  His  saving  presence,  go  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  sea  of  sin,  into  which  so  many  of  the  victims  have 
plunged,  and,  aside  from  Jesus,  have  no  rope  thrown 
to  them,  and  see  no  rescuing  boat  nearing  to  save. 
And  yet,  outside  of  Christ,  men  and  women  sink,  daily, 
into  hell,  for  they  will  not  call  upon  Jesus  to  save 
them. 

The  following  day  we  stepped  on  shore  at  Aspinwall 
—  a  dreadfully  filthy  place — built  up  in  a  swamp, 
breaking  out  in  fevers ;  and  here  we  met  the  Rev.  Bro. 
Birdsall,  Bro.  Taylor's  first  man  in  South  America. 
We  found  him  very  happy,  and  in  good  health.  Our 
steamer  did  not  make  connection  at  that  time  with  the 
one  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  ocean,  and  we  were  com- 
pelled to  stop  in  Aspinwall  for  about  six  days. 

OUR  FIEST  REVIVAL  IN  SOUTH  AMEEICA. 
Bro.  Birdsall  suggested  that  we  have  a  revival  of  the 
Lord's  work  in  that  place,  and  set  out  at  once  to  invite 
the  people.  Bro.  II.  and  myself  responded  with  a 
hearty  amen,  and  the  meetings  were  begun  in  the 
church  at  once.  Every  evening  we  gathered  a  good 


IX.  SOUTH   AMERICA.  89 

congregation,  and  the  Lord  graciously  poured  out  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  daily  many  precious  souls  were  sound- 
ly converted  to  God,  and  many  among  the  believers 
sanctified  wholly,  and  cleansed  from  inbred  sin.  These 
were  days  of  refreshing  among  the  whites  and  among 
the  natives,  both ;  and  we  had  no  room  to  regret  that 
we  were  delayed  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 

The  last  day  in  Aspinwall,  as  we  walked  down  to  the 
train  that  should  take  us  to  Panama,  we  saw  a  num- 
ber of  colored  men  and  women,  who  stood  in  the  streets, 
and,  with  a  loud  voice,  praised  the  Lord  for  salvation 
found.  They  were  so  filled  that  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  keep  still.  Our  hearts  were  filled  with  thanks- 
giving, and  we  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  good 
numbers  had  been  converted  to  God,  and  that  one  day 
we  shall  strike  hands  with  scores  of  such  who  found 
the  Saviour  during  our  stay  in  Colon,  when  we  reach 
the  last  outpost,  and  see  each  other  face  to  face  around 
the  throne  of  God  on  high.  It  was  my  special  privi- 
lege to  often  go  apart  with  dear  Bro.  Birdsall  and  talk 
with  him  over  the  deep  things  of  God.  He  loved  so 
much  to  talk  of  those  things  that  pertained  to  the 
teaching  of  holiness  —  holy  living.  These  hours  have 
been  the  sweetest  of  my  life,  and  I  think  I  can  never 
forget  Bro.  B.'sface,  when,  after  having  bathed  togeth- 
er in  the  sunshine  of  God's  marvellous  truth,  —  as  it 
was  revealed  to  us  while  talking,  —  when  in  low  strains 


90  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

lie  would  begin  to  sing  the  sweet  "  Benlali  hymn,"  his 
favorite,  and  then  I  would  chime  in.  Xext  I  would 
take  his  hand,  and,  looking  at  him,  would  see  the  tears 
of  joy  steal  to  his  eye. 

Dear  Bro.  Birdsall !  he  has  gone  home  to  heaven 
since.  Only  a  few  weeks  after  I  had  left  him,  God  took 
him  home.  When  I  read  the  notice,  I  could  understand 
it  all.  I  could  now  understand  why  he  was  thus  talking 
and  singing  with  me,  and  why  he  seemed  so  heavenly 
to  me  during  such  hours.  God  was  preparing  one  of 
His  saints  to  step  into  the  chariot  of  fire.  Glory  to 
God !  Doubly  sweet  is  the  remembrance  of  those 
blessed  hours  to  me  to-day.  How  can  I  forget  them 
now?  They  shall  rise  up  before  me  when  I  shall  hear 
the  wheels  of  the  chariot  of  fire.  When  I  hear  the 
tramping  of  Israel's  steeds,  I  want  to  think  of  those 
hours,  — yes,  and  of  the  hours  we  had  spent  together  in 
his  charge,  before  he  left  the  United  States.  Oh,  how 
to-day  I  remember  every  word  that  ever  passed  between 
us !  It  is  wonderful,  and  I  pray  that  God  may  grant 
me  grace  to  always  commune  with  those  about  me  as 
in  the  face  of  eternity.  My  friend  I  my  brother  !  thou 
hast  passed  away.  Oh,  how  my  heart  bled  when  I 
heard  of  it !  I  hurried  into  the  forest,  to  a  beauti- 
ful spot  overlooking  a  beautiful  lake,  with  two 
snow-capped  volcanoes  standing  with  their  feet  in  the 
lake,  just  opposite  from  where  I  knelt  in  prayer.  There 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  91 

was  the  beautiful  sunshine,  and  not  a  ripple  on  the 
water  before  me.  Never  did  the  panorama  seem  so 
grand !  And  as,  with  tearful  eyes,  I  looked  up  to  God, 
I  sang  the  verses  we  had  so  often  sung  together,  — 

"  I  look  away,  across  the  sea, 
Where  mansions  are  prepared  for  me." 

All  was  so  quiet  about  me  —  only  the  sweet  warbling 
of  some  birds  in  the  distance ;  but  it  seemed  as  if  the 
great  angelic  choir  joined  with  me  in  the  sweet  refrain. 
My  brother !  my  dearly  beloved  brother  Birdsall !  soon 
—  soon  — I  shall  meet  you  there,  with  Jesus  and  all  His 
loved  ones.  Glory  to  God  itfthe  highest ! 

Bro.  Birdsall  found  a  fine  church-building  at  Colon, 
put  up  by  the  railroad  company,  and  was  permitted  to 
use  it  for  any  religious  services  he  might  desire.  His 
salary  was  made  up  by  voluntary  contribution  by  those 
living  in  the  country,  and  not  from  the  people  or  any 
society  at  home  ;  and  I  was  expected  to  live  the  same 
way.  Bro.  B.  told  me  that  he  received  all  the  money 
necessary  to  carry  on  the  work,  and  that  they  had  no 
lack.  Praise  the  Lord  !  He  not  only  preached  in  the 
city  —  Colon  —  but  there  was  a  negro  settlement  a  few 
few  miles  to  the  southwest  —  Monkey  Hill  —  which  he 
visited  regularly  every  Sunday.  I  preached  once  there, 
and  had  then  several  conversions.  The  people  loved 
Bro.  Birdsall,  and  he  had  conversions  constantly. 


92  SIX  YEAES  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

LIFE  ON  THE  ISTHMUS. 

A  great  deal  of  money  seems  to  flow  into  tins  port, 
as  also  at  Panama ;  and,  accordingly,  a  great  deal  of 
vice  is  visible.  Gambling  is  a  prominent  feature  in 
those  two  places,  and  notwithstanding  the  bad  climate, 
there  is  careless  living  noticeable,  among  foreigners 
especially,  and  the  death-rate  among  them  astonished 
me.  I  spoke  to  several  who  evidently  enjoyed  good 
health,  and  indeed  had  not  been  sick  with  the  fever  yet, 
although  living  on  the  Isthmus  for  two  or  three  years. 
I  took  notice  of  what  they  told  me  about  their  mode  of 
living.  In  the  first  plaJPthey  rejected  the  idea  that 
with  every  drink  of  water,  brandy  or  whiskey  or  wine 
must  be  used,  because  the  water  is  bad ;  but  they  took 
good  care  that  the  water  they  drank  had  first  been 
boiled,  and  drank  it  either  pure,  or  in  the  shape  of 
coffee  or  tea,  either  hot  or  cold.  They  thought  that 
people  who  complained  about  the  bad  water,  drank  too 
little  of  it.  Second,  these  wise  people  thought  it  to  be 
of  great  importance  to  retire  early,  and  have  no  "  late 
nights,"  under  any  circumstances  whatever,  and  eat 
moderately,  and  plenty  of  fruit  early  in  the  morning. 
I  thought  this  explanation  to  be  very  reasonable,  and 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  this  is  the  right  mode  of  liv- 
ing in  all  such  climates.  Our  good  missionary  brethren 
might  learn  from  it,  and  I  expect  to  take  it  to  heart  for 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  93 

my  own  benefit.  One  more  point  seemed  clear  to  me, 
—  such  was  the  moral  condition  of  the  people  here, 
that  no  one  man  or  woman  seemed  to  be  free  from  the 
danger  of  being  slandered.  Purity  of  life  seems  to  be 
regarded  as  impossible  on  the  Isthmus,  and  any  one  pre- 
tending to  it  is  an  object  of  ridicule.  It  may  then  be 
considered  a  hard  field  for  a  missionary,  as  the  people 
seem  not  to  hesitate  to  fling  dirt  on  even  a  representa- 
tive of  the  Church  of  the  living  God.  Now  Bro.  Bird- 
sail  was  married,  and  a  peculiarly  fit  man  for  such  a 
field ;  with  a  sweet,  amiable  temper.  I  don't  think  I 
ever  heard  Bro.  B.  shout,  or  manifest  much  by  outward 
demonstrations ;  but  I  could  read  the  joy  of  his  soul  in 
every  feature  of  his  face  and  every  look  of  his  eye,  and 
so  no  doubt  could  others.  The  enemies  of  the  Cross  of 
course  tried  their  hand ;  but  they  could  always  behold 
with  their  own  eyes  that  the  dirt  thrown  fell  off.  It 
did  not  stick.  On  the  whole,  it  seemed  to  me  that  only 
the  most  holy,  God-fearing  man,  would  and  ought  to 
work  here,  and  that  it  certainly  required  great  wisdom 
to  work  in  this  field.  And  not  only  so,  but  that  in  re- 
gard to  the  climate  the  same  wisdom  must  be  used  in 
order  to  properly  divide  the  time  for  work,  or  many 
precious  lives  may  be  sacrificed,  and  comparatively 
little  accomplished.  Now,  those  people  who  have  fol- 
lowed secular  business,  and  have  lived  here  for  two  or 
three  years,  find  it  absolutely  necessary  to  change  cli- 


94  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

mate  for,  say  two  months,  every  year.  By  as  little  work 
as  possible,  and  very  careful  living,  as  above  described, 
the  wear  and  tear  of  the  system  is  very  great.  Now, 
would  it  not  be  wise  for  missionaries  and  societies  send- 
ing out  men  into  this  field,  to  remember  this  ?  I  do 
not  know  whether  it  is  wise,  under  our  self-supporting 
plans,  to  occupy  such  a  field,  where  we  shall  probably 
be  compelled  to  bring  a  missionary  home  once  every 
year ;  or,  in  many  cases  of  sickness  or  death,  to  renew 
the  outlay  for  passage  money,  which  might  be  used  to 
send  men  and  women  to  other  more  healthy  parts  of 
South  America,  where  workers  are  so  much  needed; 
yet,  when  I  look  at  the  wretchedness  and  the  sinful 
condition  of  those  residing  here,  I  am  asking  myself 
the  question,  How  can  we  give  up  the  field  ?  It  should 
be  cared  for.  Am  I  prepared  to  say,  It  falls  to  the  lot 
of  the  "  Taylor  Mission  "  ?  May  God  in  His  love  spare 
our  man,  and  our  men,  who  should  be  called  to  labor 
here  ? 

The  trip  across  the  Isthmus  was  delightful.  The 
train  proceeding  comparatively  slow,  I  was  enabled 
to  take  in  the  beautiful  scenery  that  presented  itself  to 
my  wondering  eyes,  and  nature-loving  heart.  The  veg- 
etation in  this  region  is  something  wonderful.  How- 
ever, the  low  parts,  consisting  of  marshy  swamps,  have 
a  somewhat  melancholy  aspect.  One  would  naturally 
think  of  the  hundreds  who  lost  their  lives  in  building 


IN   SOUTH    AMERICA.  95 

this  road  through  this  beautiful-looking  country,  and 
think  of  the  poisonous  atmosphere  of  this  region,  which 
otherwise  would  be  a  Paradise.  So  I  seemed  to  be 
enjoying  it  while  passing  by,  without  a  desire  to  even 
linger  for  a  Avhile.  Something  wanting. 

Ox  THE  GREAT  PACIFIC. 

Of  Panama  I  saw  nothing.  I  hurried  on  to  the  wharf, 
where  the  steam-tug  was  waiting  to  receive  passengers, 
and  to  take  us  on  board  the  Oroya,  for  the  South  Pa- 
cific. The  captain  we  found  to  be  a  very  pleasant  man, 
an  American.  Capt.  Hall  was  the  only  American  in 
the  employ  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Company, 
and  was  the  commodore  of  the  fleet  of  that  company, 
which  consisted  of  about  eighty  steamers.  We  were 
Avell  cared  for.  Being  deck  passengers,  we  put  up  a 
sort  of  tent  on  deck,  the  captain  kindly  furnishing  us 
with  the  necessary  canvas  for  that  purpose.  The  weath- 
er was  quite  warm,  and  we  enjoyed  the  trip  to  Callao, 
Peru,  exceedingly.  The  beauty  of  the  entrance  of  the 
Guayaquil  River,  and  all  the  way  up  to  the  city, —  was 
delightful,  and  I  thought  it  surpassed  anything  that  I 
had  ever  seen  before.  There  was  not  a  ripple  on  the 
waters  of  the  wide  bay  at  the  entrance  of  the  river, 
and  not  a  breeze  stirred  the  air;  and  as  the  eye  would 
pass  over  the  soft  surface  of  the  waters,  I  could  see,  now 
and  then,  large  pelicans  plunge  from  a  height  into  the 


96  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

water  about  the  ship,  and  in  the  distance,  catching  fish, 
in  which  they  succeeded  admirably.  Then,  as  the  ship 
took  her  course  toward  the  city,  the  shores  on  either 
side  drew  nearer,  and  sometimes  we  would  run  so  close 
to  the  banks  of  the  river,  that  by  some  effort  one  might 
leap  on  shore.  Both  sides  of  the  river  are  lined  with 
beautiful  meadows  and  well-stocked  farms.  Large  or- 
ange orchards  appeared,  and  trees  covered  with  beauti- 
ful blossoms,  and  flowers  of  many  colors.  The  cattle 
seemed  very  small,  but  well  fed.  Guayaquil  is  consid- 
ered very  unhealthy  during  the  rainy  season,  but  the  in- 
terior is  not  only  naturally  grand,  but  also  very  healthy. 
We  stopped  only  a  few  hours  in  the  harbor,  and  then, 
being  once  more  privileged  to  watch  the  scenes  described 
fade  out  of  sight,  we  soon  reached  Callao. 

The  coast  south  of  Guayaquil  presented  a  very  sad 
face,  —  not  a  shrub;  nothing  of  all  that  gladdened  our 
hearts  in  the  way  of  scenery  which  we  were  accustomed 
to  see  almost  anywhere  where  I  had  been  travelling  be- 
fore. A  great  desert  of  sand,  stretching  from  here,  all 
the  way  down  to  Callao,  and  farther  south,  as  far  as  Val- 
paraiso, and  even  a  little  south  of  that  city.  Leaving 
Callao  we  reached  Mollenda.  There  I  visited  the  Rev. 
Magnus  Smith  and  wife,  two  of  William  Taylor's  people 
who  had  arrived  there  only  a  short  time  ago,  and  had 
not  yet  gotten  fairly  under  way.  At  Iquique  we  found 
the  Rev.  John  Collyer,  who  had  just  opened  a  school, 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  97 

and  also  preached  on  Sundays  to  the  English  residents. 
He  was  getting  along  well.  "  Plentiful,"  Bro.  C.  said, 
was  the  support  he  received  financially,  but  the  place 
was  a  hotbed  of  sin.  "  Drink  is  the  general  crime  in 
this  city,"  he  said,  "  but  by  the  help  of  God  we  will 
go  on."  His  sister  was  on  board  with  us  as  a  cabin 
passenger.  She  had  come  out  to  help  her  brother  in 
the  work. 

Next  we  met  Rev.  Bro.  Higgins  at  Coquimbo,  doing 
a  good  work  there,  and  travelling  several  circuits. 

THE  FIRST  MONEY  EARNED  IN  CHILI. 

Bro.  Hoffman  and  myself  received  there  from  Bro. 
Higgins  the  first  money  earned  by  him  on  South 
American  soil.  Bro.  Higgins  said:  "Take  that  — 
you  will  need  it  down  South.  The  Lord  provides 
us  here  with  all  I  need,  and,"  and,  added  he,  "  if  only 
the  people  would  be  as  willing  to  give  their  hearts  to 
Christ  as  they  are  to  give  their  money !  But,"  he  said, 
he  had  had  "•  a  number  of  conversions,  and  a  splendid 
Sunday-school." 

I  was  pleased  to  find  our  dear  people  so  bright-looking 
and  courageous.  Several  of  the  workers  were  stationed 
in  inland  towns,  and  these,  of  course,  I  could  not  see, 
—  such  as  Rev.  J.  P.  Gilliland  and  wife,  at  the  Lobos 
Islands,  among  the  shipping ;  Prof.  Humphrey  and  wife 
at  Tacna,  and  Rev.  L.  Smith  and  wife  at  Copiapo.  All 


98  SIX  YEAES   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOli 

these,  however,  I  heard  were  doing  well,  and  being  en- 
tirely supported  by  the  people  among  whom  they  lab- 
ored. These  reports,  together  with  what  I  was  able  to 
see  of  the  workers  and  the  people,  encouraged  me  very 
much,  and  my  heart  rejoiced  to  know  that  thus  God 
was  dealing  with  His  missionaries. 

BEO.  SMITH  PEEACHES  TO  THE  NATIVES. 

Bro.  Smith,  of  Copiapo,  I  was  told,  although  then  only 
a  few  months  in  this  country,  was  already  preaching  to 
the  natives ;  first  writing  his  sermons  and  then  reading 
them  to  his  congregation,  and  he  expected  in  a  few 
months  more  to  so  master  the  language  as  to  be  able  to 
take  up  that  work  in  earnest,  and  establish  a  church. 
Amen  and  glory  to  God  !  I  would  say  from  the  heart. 
God  bless  the  dear  brethren  in  that  great  desert  of  Ata- 
cama,  and  make  it  a  spiritual  Eden. 

Much  strengthened  in  spirit  and  body,  I  arrived  in 
Valparaiso,  on  the  fifth  of  January,  1879,  where  I  had 
to  lay  over  for  another  steamer  to  take  me  to  my  field, 
a  few  hundred  miles  further  south,  near  the  borders  of 
Patagonia,  where  are  several  large  German  colonies. 
While  waiting  in  Valparaiso,  I  was  invited  by  Dr.  T., 
of  the  Union  Church,  to  preach  on  Sunday  evening. 
The  doctor  has  a  fine  church,  aud  the  better  class  of 
the  foreign  population  are  his  principal  supporters.  He 
has  been  working  here  for  the  last  thirty-five  years,  and 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  99 

working  much  to  distribute  Spanish  tracts  and  Bibles 
among  the  natives,  to  which  end,  also,  a  Bible  Society 
has  been  called  into  life,  which  does  great  good  all  over 
the  land.  I  also  found  a  Presbyterian  brother  laboring 
among  the  natives  exclusively,  in  school  work  and  di- 
rect Gospel  work.  This  brother  had  a  short  time  ago 
bought  the  German  church,  which  was  sold  by  them  to 
"  quit  the  business,"  with  hymn-books,  etc. 

While  I  preached  at  the  doctor's  church,  Bro.  Hoff- 
mann had  invited  the  Germans  to  hear  him.  I  under- 
stand they  turned  out  well,  and  it  appeared  that  they 
only  desired  a  godly  preacher,  and  the  work  might  be 
taken  up  again  and  carried  to  success. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ON  THE  BORDERS  OF  NORTHERN  PATAGONIA. 

OUR  orders  were  to  go  to  the  south,  and  accordingly 
we  prepared  for  the  start.  Before  starting,  however, 
we  learned  that  the  Gustav-Adolph  Society,  of  Ger- 
many, had  taken  up  the  field  south,  and  had  sent  two 
ministers,  one  to  Osorno  and  the  other  to  Puerto  Montt, 
supplying  at  the  same  time  a  colony  of  a  hundred  fam- 
ilies, living  at  the  Lake  Llanquihue,  situated  about 
twelve  miles  inland,  north  of  Puerto  Montt.  This 
somewhat  perplexed  us,  and  we  changed  our  plans  for 
operation  somewhat,  and  we  thought  it  wise,  as  Val- 
divia,  a  German  settlement  of  about  three  thousand 
persons,  alone  was  left  unprovided,  and  Bro.  Hoffmann, 
being  a  married  man,  should  go  to  that  city  instead  of 
myself,  and  I  to  proceed  to  the  province  of  Llanquihue, 
and,  if  possible,  make  arrangements  with  the  Lutheran 
pastor  in  charge  of  the  Lake  district,  that  I  might 
take  up  that  work  at  the  Lake,  which  I  thought  quite 
enough  work  for  one  man,  if  he  wishes  to  do  his  duty. 

The  day  for  departure  drew  near,  and  we  embarked 
for  Valdivia  and  Puerto  Montt.  Valdivia  had  been  de- 
scribed to  me  as  a-  modern  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 
100 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  101 

Thirty  years  ago  this  colony  had  been  founded,  and 
never,  since  that  time,  had  they  agreed  to  any  arrange- 
ment to  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them,  and  in  these 
latter  years  expressed  themselves  to  this  effect,  that 
they  were  glad  to  be  without  a  preacher,  as  the  cities 
of  Osorno  and  Puerto  Montt  stood  for  a  warning  to 
them,  because  of  the  contention  and  strife  among  the 
people  since  the  pastor  from  Germany  had  come  to  these 
settlements.  I  do  not  know  how  far  true  this  is.  Since 
laboring  here,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  the  people  of  Valdivia 
are  not  so  much  to  be  blamed  for  this  excuse  on  these 
grounds.  The  people  of  Valdivia  did  not  even  get 
their  children  baptized,  with  the  exception  of  a  very 
few  families,  who  had  sent  to  Osorno,  the  place  nearest 
them,  to  have  the  ordinance  performed.  Osorno  can 
be  reached  from  Valdivia  in  two  days,  on  horseback. 

To  this  field  Bro.  H.  decided  to  go,  and  there  to  pitch 
his  tent.  Bro.  Hoffmann  is  a  precious  brother,  and  full 
of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  Praise  the  Lord!  I 
never  saw  Bro.  H.  when  he  did  not  sing  or  praise 
the  Lord  with  all  his  heart,  and  from  the  heart,  and 
very  seldom  when  he  did  not  have  a  soul  either  by  the 
hand  or  kneeling  on  the  floor ;  and  I  felt  that  if  any 
man  would  be  blessed  of  God,  it  might  be  he.  "We 
separated  at  Valdivia  — "  the  city  of  lager  beer " 
the  Vanity  Fair  of  Bunyau's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word. 


102         SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

LANDING  ON  THE  FIELD  OF  BATTLE. 

The  following  day  I  landed  at  Puerto  Montt.  The 
navigation  between  the  numerous  islands  of  Chiloe  is 
somewhat  dangerous ;  but  what  a  sight  for  the  traveler ! 
It  is  the  archipelego  of  the  Pacific.  The  pleasure  of 
this  trip  surpasses  all  description,  and  I  could  only  say : 
"  Come  and  see."  The  inhabitants  of  these  islands  are 
poor  but  good-natured  half-breeds,  and  excellent  farm 
hands.  The  south  and  north  of  Chili  are  supplied  with 
laborers  from  these  islands.  The  Romish  priests  have 
done  more  for  these  people  than  perhaps  for  any  other 
on  the  terra  firma  of  Chili  and  the  entire  West  Coast. 
Most  of  these  people  can  read  and  write.  But  of  course 
they  are  terribly  superstitious,  and  never  read  any  other 
books  except  such  as  are  given  them  by  the  priest, 
and  only  those  of  lowest  order. 

Leaving  the  steamer  I  went  at  once  to  the  hotel,  and 
gave  myself  wholly  up  to  prayer.  How  I  longed  for  a 
few  days  of  seclusion  after  so  long  a  sea-voyage  !  I 
wanted  to  be  alone  with  God,  —  my  soul  was  craving 
for  God,  to  see  Him  alone,  when  no  one  was  near  to  dis- 
turb or  observe.  I  felt  so  peaceful,  and  I  could  commit 
myself  and  all  into  His  hands,  and  talk  with  Him  who 
had  thus  guided  me.  In  my  room  I  stood  alone,  but  I 
knew  God  was  with  me.  There  was  no  invitation  to  a 
revival,  with  such  an  outlook  as  I  had  been  accustomed 


IN   SOUTH    AMERICA.  103 

to  at  home,  —  not  just  in  the  same  way  ;  but  was  it  not 
the  same  Jesus,  the  same  blessed  promise  beneath  me  ? 
Was  the  promise  not  the  same  to  me  to-day  as  ever, 
that  "  every  place  where  my  foot  shall  tread  upon,  had 
been  given  unto  me,"  and  that  "  As  I  was  with  Moses, 
so  shall  I  be  with  thee"  (Joshua  i.)  ?  Ah,  yes !  the  text 
was  applied,  and,  bless  the  Lord  !  my  soul  looked  up  to 
the  Mighty  to  Save,  and  for  that  cause  I  bowed  my 
knees  there  and  then,  and  there  the  Lord  talked  with 
me. 

MY  FIRST  GERMAN  SERMON. 

In  a  few  hours  the  whole  village  knew  that  I  had  ar- 
rived, and  that  I  was  a  preacher,  and  very  soon  some 
one  knocked  at  my  door,  and  a  kind-hearted,  good- 
natured  German  stepped  in  and  invited  me  to  preach  in 
the  school-house  "to-morrow,"  (this  being  Saturday). 
The  good  man  told  me  that  the  pastor,  Mr.  S.,  had 
gone  to  the  lake,  and  would  stay  there  a  few  weeks,  as 
he  did  four  times  every  year,  during  which  time  he  bap- 
tized and  confirmed  the  children,  and  preached  on  the 
Sabbath.  I  consented  at  once  that  I  would  preach. 
Then  I  tried  to  find  out  all  about  the  work  in  the  town, 
and  in  the  province;  and  by  the  time  the  man  got 
through,  I  could  look  upon  myself  as  a  kind  of  intruder, 
although  I  could  plainly  see  that  the  Lutheran  brother 
could  never  do  all  the  work  that  was  to  be  done  in  the 
province  of  Llanquihue,  nor  that  any  two  men  could  do 


104  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

justice  to  the  demands  of  the  field ;  but  I  well  under- 
stood the  German  clergy,  and- 1  betook  myself  to  earnest 
prayer  and  meditation,  that  I  might  have  wisdom  to  act 
wisely  in  the  matter ;  and,  after  prayer,  I  concluded  to 
start  out  on  Monday  and  meet  Mr.  S.  at  the  Lake,  where 
he  now  was,  preaching.  This  was  to  be  the  first  step. 

It  being  somewhat  late,  I  dismissed  my  German  lands- 
man, and  prepared  for  bed.  I  had  not  talked  so  much 
German  for  six  years  as  I  had  been  compelled  to  this 
evening,  and  I  found  that  it  was  hard  for  me.  "  How 
peculiar,"  I  thought:  " a*  full-blooded  Dutchman,  and 
almost  forgotten  his  mother  tongue  !  "  I  wondered  how 
it  would  be  in  the  morning,  to  preach  to  the  people.  I 
had  never  preached  in  the  German  language  —  had 
never  in  my  life  handled  a  German  Bible,  nor  a  theo- 
logical book  in  that  language.  My  head  began  to  turn 
on  its  axis,  and  I  gave  up  thought,  and  fell  sweetly 
asleep  in  Jesus'  arms  of  love. 

The  morning  came,  and  with  it  the  certainty  that  I 
had  to  face  a  German  congregation,  for  the  first  time 
since  I  was  in  the  service  of  my  Master.  I  felt  the  per- 
spiration starting  through  the  pores  of  the  skin  about 
the  forehead.  It  was  different  from  that  feeling  which 
I  often  experienced  before  preaching  to  a  congregation, 
and  especially  when  persons  are  present  who,  I  think, 
are  so  much  better  than  myself,  or  know  how  to  preach 
better  than  myself,  or  some  such  awkward  feeling. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  105 

This  was  quite  a  new  experience.  But  I  was  still  more 
confounded  when  I  took  up  my  German  Bible  and  tried 
to  think  "in  German,"  and  at  last,  walking  up  and 
down  in  my  room,  tried  to  talk  and  get  at  it  in  that 
way  ;  but  the  best  I  could  do  was  simply  to  break  out 
in  laughing  aloud  at  myself,  and  throwing  myself 
across  the  bed  and  laughing  until  I  could  laugh  no 
more.  But  I  made  another  manly  effort :  it  was  sim- 
ply ridiculous.  The  hour  for  preaching  drew  near,  and 
I  grew  strangely  serious.  I  then  began  to  cry  and  weep 
and  pray,  and  then  it  came  to  rne  that  I  had  been  real 
foolish,  and  it  seemed  to  whisper,  "  What  are  you  fret- 
ting about  ?  "  That  put  me  to  shame,  and  I  felt  that  I 
blushed.  I  then  took  my  English  Bible,  selected  my 
text,  "  Naaman  the  Syrian,"  laid  it  down,  and  taking 
my  German  Bible,  started  for  the  school-house,  where 
the  people  were  already  waiting,  and  had  thronged  the 
place.  I  went,  simply  trusting  that  God  would  fill  my 
mouth,  and  placing  myself,  limber-like,  in  His  hands,  I 
now  had  rest ;  and  with  a  peaceful  mind  and  leaning 
pretty  hard  on  the  Master,  I  read  my  lesson  and  pro- 
nounced my  text,  and  then  came  the  preaching. 

I  think  I  shall  never  forget  that  hour.  It  seemed 
that  I  must  have  always  been  preaching  in  German. 
I  was  blessed,  and  evidently  the  people  were  blessed ; 
but  one  came  to  me  and  said:  "Mr.  K.,  you  several 
times  used  entire  English  words,  which  I  could  not 


106  SIX   YEARS    WITH    WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

make  out."     All  right !     Praise    the    Lord !     The  ice 
was  broken,  and  after  all   there  was   no  giant  to  scare 

me. 

THE  COLONY  ON  LAKE  LLANQTJIHTJE. 

The  following  morning  a  German  came  and  offered 
me  a  horse  to  ride  to  the  Lake,  and  while  preparing  for 
this,  my  first  journey  in  Chili  on  terra  firma,  a  letter  from 
the  pastor  was  handed  to  me,  in  which  he  invited  me  to 
meet  him  at  a  certain  station  at  the  Lake,  from  whence 
we  would  proceed  to  Osorno,  to  meet  the  pastor  sta- 
tioned there,  arid  have  a  conference  together,  and  see 
what  arrangements  could  be  made  between  us.  Now, 
this  looked  encouraging,  and  sounded  like  business.  So 
after  another  precious  talk  with  Jesus,  I  started,  and 
being  mounted  on  a  spirited  little  Indian  pony,  and  ac- 
companied by  a  German  guide,  we  soon  reached  the 
Lake.  On  the  way  out  I  stopped  at  nearly  every  house, 
greeting  the  people,  reading  Scripture,  and  praying  be- 
fore leaving  the  house.  These  poor  people  had  never 
seen  any  such  proceedings,  and  I  saw  they  had  been  en- 
tirely neglected.  Many  a  warm  grasp  of  the  hand  I 
felt,  and  many  a  tear  glistening  in  the  eyes  of  the  older 
members  of  the  different  households.  From  this  one 
visit  new  life  and  new  hopes  seemed  to  have  been  re- 
vived, and  this  journey  was  a  blessed  one  to  me  and  to 
all.  Yet  I  felt  the  contest  for  the  possession  of  that 
field  would  be  hard,  but  God  could  give  us  the  victory. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  107 

From  this  out  our  road  became  very  rough  —  narrow 
paths,  up  and  down  hill,  through  numberless  rivers  and 
little  streams,  mud-holes,  and  closely-edging  steep  pre- 
cipices. Every  half  hour  we  found  a  colonist,  either 
working  near  his  house,  or,  with  his  peones,  cutting 
down  the  dense  forests,  and  burning  the  dried  branches 
and  trunks  of  trees,  getting  the  soil  ready  for  the  re- 
ception of  wheat.  I  saw  splendid  cattle  and  sheep  and 
horses  in  abundance,  and  all  the  colonists,  without  any 
exception,  seemed  to  do  well. 

How  MY  LANDSMEN  LIVE. 

The  people  were  very  kind  and  friendly.  In  every 
place  they  insisted  that  I  should  dismount,  and  either 
drink  milk  or  wheat  coffee,  and  eat  black  bread  and 
German  sausage.  It  seemed  hard  to  refuse,  and  yet  I 
could  not  make  them  believe  that  I  was  full  "  to  split," 
but  what  should  I  do,  even  though  I  had  to  wait  in  one 
house  and  see  how  the  good  lady  of  the  house  emptied 
a  bowl  of  dirty  soap-water,  and  filling  it  with  good  beef 
soup,  placed  it  before  me,  and  delivered  her  lecture  on 
the  quality  of  the  soup  in  most  eloquent  style  ?  I  had 
better  keep  the  secret  to  myself.  I  was  struck  with 
the  untidiness  of  most  of  those  farmers  about  the  Lake ; 
things  looked  wild  in  many  a  household,  and  they 
seemed  to  take  no  pleasure  in  cleanliness  and  reasonable 
comfort.  They  might  all  have  enjoyed  both.  IIn\v- 


108  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

ever,  they  were  glad  when  I  read  from  the  Bible  to 
them,  and  prayed  with  them.  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  an  Englishman,  who  owned  a  farm  here.  He 
had  come  over  from  Australia  with  a  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren, and  bought  this  farm,  and  was  doing  very  well. 
His  wife  I  found  to  be  a  thorough  Christian  woman, 
but  very  sick.  She  had  been  confined  to  her  bed  for 
several  years,  yet  she  rejoiced  in  the  Lord.  She  also 
tried  to  train  her  children  in  that  way.  The  boys  were 
grown,  but  were  not  Christians ;  the  girls  were  like 
their  mother. 

After  a  day's  ride  on  horseback,  we  had  reached,  late 
in  the  evening,  a  whiskey  distillery,  and  my  guide  told 
me  that  here  we  must  stay  over  night,  and  take  up  the 
road  on  to-morrow,  and  that  we  would  meet  the  pastor, 
Mr.  S.,  by  to-morrow  noon.  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
lodging  at  this  distillery  very  much.  The  room  was 
filled  with  colonists,  and  a  great  deal  of  beer  and  whis- 
key was  drank,  and  of  course  I  was  invited  on  every 
hand  to  partake  of  the  cup.  I  pitied  these  poor  people, 
when  I  noticed  the  looks  of  astonishment  at  my  stout 
lefusal,  and  on  cigars  being  offered  I  did  the 
same.  The  people  could  not  understand  this  at  all. 
When  I  gave  them  my  reasons  for  not  drinking  beer 
and  not  smoking  cigars,  they  felt  inclined  to  respect  me 
for  my  total  abstinence ;  but  thought  it  was  a  great 
pity,  as  their  pastor  knew  how  to  enjoy  both  these 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  109 

things,  they  said.  When,  after  a  while,  I  had  to  refuse 
to  play  cards,  they  thought  me  to  be  "holy  "  —  an  aw- 
ful thing  among  them.  On  the  whole,  they  had  never 
seen  such  a  person  before,  especially  a  clergyman,  who 
would  not  drink,  nor  smoke,  nor  play  cards.  I  noticed 
the  dear  people  were  stumbling  over  it ;  and  thinking 
it  was  time  to  explain  somewhat  of  the  reason  of  the 
hope  that  was  in  me,  I  began  to  tell  them  some- 
thing about  the  eleventh  commandment.  That  did 
its  work,  and  they  seemed  to  see  the  expediency  of  my 
mode  of  life  from  that  standpoint,  better  than  if  I  had 
brought  up  all  the  arguments  in  the  world  to  prove  my 
point.  And  when  I  added  the  testimony  as  to  what 
Jesus  did  for  me,  they  sat  in  silence,  with  open  ears  and 
eyes,  and  in  the  eyes  of  some  of  the  older  members  of 
the  company  one  could  see  the  tears.  These  arose  by 
and  by,  shook  my  hand,  and  said :  "  This  did  me  good," 
and  silently  separated  from  the  company,  and  went  their 
way  home.  I  was  much  pleased  with  this  little  inter- 
view with  s'ome  of  the  people,  who,  I  hoped,  would  be 
my  hearers  in  the  near  future. 

Early  the  next  morning  my  guide  and  I  were  on  our 
way  to  Puuto  de  los  Chamchos,  —  called  so  from  the 
formation  of  a  neck  of  land  running  out  into  the  lake, 
resembling  a  "pig's  head,"  and  there,  at  a  fanner's 
house,  Mr.  S.  was  waiting  for  me.  It  did  not  take  us 
as  long  as  I  had  thought.  The  horses  were  rested,  ami 


110  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

the  road  considerably  better,  so  we  reached  our  desti- 
nation about  10.30  A.  M. 

The  farmer,  a  sturdy,  friendly-looking  German,  met 
me  at  the  door,  and  was  evidently  glad  to  see  me ;  next 
came  out  wife,  daughter,  and  son,  —  all  seemed  to  be 
glad  to  welcome  me  to  their  home ;  last  of  all  came  my 
brother  pastor.  The  reception  was  cold  and  entirely 
formal.  However,  I  was  not  disappointed.  I  under- 
stood a  young  man  had  come  over  from  the  distillery, 
early  this  morning,  a  few  hours  before  me,  and  had  an- 
nounced my  coming ;  also  giving  a  report  of  Avhat  he 
had  seen  and  heard  there. 

THE  NEW  IDEA,  —  "A  HOLY  MAN." 

The  reverend  gentleman  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
the  fact  that  I  must  be  a  "  holy  man,"  and  received  me 
accordingly.  Very  little  was  said  during  the  day, 
my  friend  trying  very  hard  to  impress  me  with  the 
fact  that  he  was  "  lording  it "  over  the  people,  and  he 
was  a  great  deal  more  learned  than  they  were ;  which  I, 
however,  never  disputed  for  a  moment ;  and  also  with 
the  certainty  that  he  could  smoke  more  cigars  and  drink 
more  beer  than  I  could.  The  evening  in  the  room  was 
spent  in  relating  something  about  my  late  travels,  and 
gathering  information  respecting  this  country,  and  the 
colony  in  particular.  The  smoke  from  the  Dutch  pipes 
of  my  two  friends  —  the  farmer  and  the  parson  — 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  Ill 

threatened  to  suffocate  me ;  but  I  stood  it  in  good 
grace,  and  had  no  complaints  to  make.  But  when  every 
bit  of  pure  air  had  been  most  effectually  excluded  from 
the  low  room,  the  good  parson  offered  me  a  Havana, 
which  was  promptly  refused,  and  I  turned  to  wipe  my 
"  weeping  eyes."  There  was  not  much  emotion,  but 
the  smoke  bit  my  eyes  terribly.  I  noticed  soon  that 
this  cigar  had  been  simply  offered  to  test  the  truthful- 
ness of  this  morning's  messenger.  I  had,  up  to  the 
time,  carefully  avoided  any  signs  of  disapproval  as  to 
the  proceedings  of  the  evening,  and  the  German  parson 
could  not  hold  in  any  longer  —  he  must  satisfy  his  curi- 
osity, and  see  for  himself  whether  the  report  concern- 
ing me  was  true  or  not.  I  was  then  called  upon  to  give 
a  reason  for  my  moderation,  and  in -the  most  charitable 
way  I  told  these  two  men  the  story  of  love,  —  of  course, 
understanding  that  I  dealt  with  two  blind  men,  and 
sick  at  that,  I  dealt  cautiously,  and  in  the  most  loving 
way,  —  about  as  the  doctor  would  make  castor  oil  go 
down  easy,  —  only  T  could  not  help  the  effect. 

FIRST  SIGNS  or  OPPOSITION. 

I  felt  exceedingly  sorry  when  I  saw  I  had  made  my- 
self obnoxious  to  my  friend,  the  parson.  But  I  believe 
he  felt  more  hurt  that  I  knew  my  sins  forgiven,  than  at 
anything  else.  He  knew  I  would  not  join  in  his  way  of 
"  passing  away  time," —  a  fashionable  term  used  by  some 


112  SIX  YEAHS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

of  the  clergy  and  laity  now-a-days,  —  a  sort  of  a  "  sheep- 
skin "  suit,  of  course  it  is  calculated  to  deceive  :  it  is  n't 
sheepskin  after  all,  it 's  only  a  whitewash,  and  used  to 
paint  over  "sore  spots,"  and  makes  those  using  the 
stuff  only  look  worse.  Poor  deluded  creatures !  God 
have  mercy  on  poor  sinners,  and  the  blind  leading  the 
blind. 

The  following  morning  my  guide  returned  to  his 
home,  and  mounting  fresh  horses,  Mr.  S.  and  myself  left 
our  hospitable  friends  and  journeyed  towards  Osorno. 
We  could  riot  reach  it  in  one  day,  so  we  stopped  over 
night  at  an  inn,  on  the  extreme  northern  shore  of  the 
lake.  Several  children  were  baptized  there,  and  I  made 
the  acquaintance  of  nearly  all  the  farmers  in  that  neigh- 
borhood, for  the  Germans  are  very  fond  of  spending 
their  evenings  at  the  inn,  and  do  n't  mind  walking  or 
riding  for  hours  to  reach  it ;  but  more  especially  when 
the  parson  is  announced  to  be  there,  as  he  was  very 
fond  of  talking  about  cattle,  beer,  tobacco,  and  family 
affairs.  The  only  good  that  I  could  see  was  done  in 
those  gatherings,  was  that  they  did  their  quarrelling 
and  fighting  at  the  inn,  instead  of  aggrevating  their  poor, 
hard-worked  wives  and  children  at  home. 

THEIR  FORLORN  CONDITTON. 

But  those  poor  never-dying  souls  were  left  uncared 
for.  Oh,  how  my  heart  yearned  after  them  !  but  I  had 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  113 

seen  enough  to  show  me  that  the  field  would  be  a  diffi- 
cult one;  but,  also,  that  preaching  Christ  crucified 
would  finally  reach  the  people.  They  seemed  to  be  to- 
tally ignorant  of  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into 
the  world  to  actually  save  from  sin,  and  that  it  was  ob- 
ligatory to  search  the  Scriptures  to  derive  from  them 
saving  knowledge.  I  found  these  poor  people  had  nev- 
er been  disturbed,  and  on  that  ground  I  had  some  hope. 
Give  them  a  fair  chance,  and  they  will  seek  the  Saviour 
of  the  world.  I  felt  from  that  hour  that  God  had  laid 
these  precious  souls  upon  my  heart,  and  in  His  name  I 
would  go  and  preach  the  word  of  life.  Many  of  the 
children  of  these  colonists  I  found,  who  had  grown  up 
without  religious  training,  and  in,  oh,  how  many  cases ! 
hail  not  even  learned  to  read  or  write  ;  and  some  of  such 
had  only  just  married,  and  in  either  case,  as  to  the  man 
or  the  woman,  I  found  this  to  be  a  sad  fact.  If  the 
condition  of  these  was  bad,  what  would  in  turn  become 
of  their  children  ?  I  did  not  wonder  when  the  pastor 
himself  informed  me,  as  we  rode  on  the  next  morning, 
that  it  was  quite  common  among  the  people  at  the  Lake, 
that  sons  and  daughters  would  abuse  and  maltreat  their 
old  parents,  having  no  respect  for  them.  But  alas  !  he 
himself  had  never  become  acquainted  with  Jesus,  and 
how  could  he  lead  this  people  ? 

I  talked  much  with  God  that  day,  as  we  went  on  our 
way  to  Osorno,  and  entertained  but  little  hope  that  the 


114  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

man  stationed  there  would  be  a  different  man,  but  felt 
I  might  be  opposed  by  them,  and  the  way  should  be 
closed  against  me  to  work  at  the  Lake.  My  love  for 
that  people  had  already  been  kindled,  and  I  was  burn- 
ing to  bring  to  them  the  word  of  Christ,  and  through  it 
make  them  acquainted  with  a  purer  and  truly  noble 
life,  and  with  a  conscious  indwelling  holiness. 

After  a  ride  of  six  hours,  partly  through  dense  for- 
ests, which  I  could  not  help  but  compare  with  the 
finest  tropical  forests,  and  in  parts  with  an  Indian  jun- 
gle, we  reached  Osorno,  a  place  where  about  1500  Ger- 
mans live.  It  had  the  appearance  of  thrift,  and  I  un- 
derstood the  extensive  cattle  raising  in  these  parts,  and 
the  large  tanneries,  gave  the  place  a  name  in  the  south- 
ern parts  of  Chili.  However,  the  number  of  breweries 
and  whiskey  distilleries  astonished  me.  The  Germans 
here  have  a  large  school  and  a  neat  little  chapel.  I 
was  soon  introduced  to  the  Ilev.  Mr.  R.,  the  preacher 
in  charge,  and  also  director  of  the  school.  I  found  him 
a  very  pleasant  man,  who  received  me  warmly,  and  his 
kindness  was  genuine.  I  felt  much  encouraged,  and 
hoped  that  matters  would  be  satisfactorily  arranged. 
We  chatted  on  general  subjects  a  few  hours,  and  then 
we  separated  for  the  evening,  in  order  to  rest  and  re- 
fresh ourselves  with  sleep,  and  to  meet  in  the  morning 
of  the  following  day  for  conference.  There  was  no 
family  altar  in  the  house,  and  we  left  for  our  rooms 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  115 

without  praying  together.  This  did  not  impress  me 
favorably ;  and  being  alone,  I  poured  out  my  heavy  but 
trustful  heart  to  my  God.  I  thought  of  Bro.  Hoffmann, 
whom  I  had  left  at  Valdivia,  and  almost  envied  him  for 
his  position;  and  I  remembered  the  words  of  an  old 
man  whom  I  met  on  his  farm,  at  the  Lake,  who  said, 
taking  hold  of  my  hand,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes :  "  I 
wish  you  had  come  to  us  twenty  years  ago,  before  any 
other  man  began  to  preach  here."  Perhaps  he  was 
right.  I  truly  believe  that  Christless  ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  who  are  not  witnesses,  do  incalculable  harm, 
both  at  home,  and  more  especially,  in  mission  fields. 
"  I  have  called  thee  to  be  a  minister  and  a  witness."  I 
like  that  word  which  came  directly  down  from  heaven. 
God  does  not  want  any  ministers  unless  they  are  wit- 
nesses to  the  cleansing  and  purifying  power  of  the  blood 
of  Jesus,  for  how  can  I  lead  souls  nearer  to  God  than  I 
am  myself?  God  make  me  to  be  a  swift  witness  while  I 
remain  on  earth,  or  else  blot  me  out  of  the  book  of  the 

ministry ! 

A  CONFERENCE. 

Much  refreshed  after  so  much  riding  on  horseback,  I 
arose  in  the  morning,  and  after  my  morning  Scripture 
lesson  and  a  sweet  talk  with  Jesus,  I  met  the  two  Luth- 
eran pastors  in  the  study.  I  at  once  set  to  work  and 
told  them  what  I  had  come  for,  and  that  I  thought  Bro. 
S.  had  a  great  deal  of  work  on  hand,  and  if  agreeable, 


116  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

I  should,  with  the  help  of  God,  go  to  work  among  the 
people  at  the  Lake  colony,  as  I  thought  the  pastoral 
hurried  visits  of  four  times  in  the  yea.r  could  never  do 
justice  to  the  wants  of  the  people.  I  freely  spoke  out 
my  impressions  which  I  had  received  during  my  trip 
and  by  conversing  with  the  people,  with  due  respect, 
giving  credit  to  the  work  that  had  been  attempted  by 
Mr.  S.  Bro.  R.  seconded  all  that  I  had  to  say.  He 
said  he  knew  the  people,  and  had  often  thought  they 
should  be  better  cared  for ;  but  that  it  was  impossible 
for  either  one  of  them  to  do  them  justice,  the  distance 
being  so  great,  and  the  colonists  much  scattered.  He 
thought  that  a  preacher  should  be  stationed  at  the  Lake, 
and  furthermore  he  felt  to  congratulate  Mr.  S.  upon  my 
arrival,  as  he  thought,  just  in  time,  and  that  my  coming 
was  of  God.  What  Mr.  R.  said  was  thoroughly  evan- 
gelical, and  I  liked  the  man  very  much,  as  I  thought  he 
had  at  least  good  feeling  towards  the  people,  and  that 
he  was  more  liberal  than  his  colleague,  who  had  all  this 
time  said  nothing.  When  his  turn  came  he  raised  many 
objections.  He  thought  that  I  was  too  strict,  and  that 
his  people  at  the  Lake  would  never  agree  with  me.  In 
fact,  he  feared  everything  for  me  that  he  could  think  of. 
Yes,  perhaps  I  thought  he  had  good  reason  to  fear,  and 
I  felt  for  him.  It  took  a  great  deal  of  persuasion  on 
the  part  of  my  evangelical  friend,  and  at  last  he  yielded, 
but  reluctantly.  I  did  not  exactly  like  it  much,  to  see 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  117 

that  his  heart  was  not  in  it ;  but  I  hoped  the  man 
might  be  brought  to  see  for  himself.  My  position  was, 
however,  at  best,  not  one  that  I  much  desired ;  but 
what  could  I  do  ?  The  Lord  had  some  work  for  me  to 
do  here,  and  He  would  stand  by  me ;  so  everything  was 
committed  to  God,  and  I  was  determined  to  go  on. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  I  spent  in  visiting  some  of 
the  families  in  the  town,  and  had  precious  experiences. 
In  one  house  a  young  lady  was  brought  under  convic- 
tion for  sin,  and  I  believed  the  Lord  would  convert  her. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  WORK  IN  THE  COLONIES. 

I  STAYED  only  a  few  days  in  the  place,  and  then  hur- 
ried back  to  the  Lake,  to  take  up  my  work  at  once.  I 
visited  now  from  house  to  house,  reading  Scripture  and 
praying  with  the  people.  The  results  in  many  instances 
were  most  gratifying,  and  I  saw  that  the  Lord  did  a 
wonderful  work  of  conviction  for  sin.  Although  they 
seemed  to  be  so  ignorant  of  Biblical  truth,  yet  they  un- 
derstood the  testimony  concerning  an  "  every-day 
Christ ;  and  illustrating  Scripture  by  personal  experi- 
ence, brought  on  the  deep  conviction  for  "sin,  and  a 
burning  desire  to  receive  the  same  blessing  of  pardon 
followed.  In  every  home  I  received  a  most  hearty  wel- 
come —  plenty  to  eat  and  a  good  feather-bed,  as  well  as 
guides  and  fast  horses,  without  paying  for  them.  The 
two  ministers  in  Osorno  had  told  me  that  my  support 
would  be  rather  a  slim  affair,  as  the  people  at  the  Lake 
had  pledged  themselves  for  three  years  to  raise  a  cer- 
tain sum  every  year  to  help  support  the  work  at  Puerto 
Montt,  of  which  place  Mr.  S.  was  the  pastor,  and  with- 
out which  support  the  mission  at  Puerto  Montt  could 
not  get  along.  Mr.  S.,  in  yielding  up  the  field  to  me, 
118 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  119 

would  not  let  that  part  of  the  arrangement  with  the 
people  slip,  and  thought  that  he  would  still  now  and 
then  visit  the  people  and  baptize  their  children,  and 
that  if  I  could  get  a  support  among  them  outside  of 
that,  I  should  go  on.  Of  course  I  agreed  to  that,  and 
hoped  that  the  Lord  would  open  my  way,  and  I  would 
trust  Him  for  my  daily  bread  and  clothing. 

There  were  no  less  than  from  five  to  six  whiskey  dis- 
tilleries around  the  Lake,  and  the  owners  of  these  mills 
were  getting  alarmed,  and  tried  to  hinder  the  work,  and 
they  found  a  man  —  the  pastor  of  Puerto  Montt  —  who 
now  began  to  work  against  me  with  every  possible 
means  at  his  command.  He  knew  I  was  a  Methodist. 
Papers  from  Germany,  such  as  were  always  full  of  slurs 
against  that  denomination,  were  imported  and  scattered 
among  the  people,  and  especially  those  who  had  a  name 
among  the  colonists.  I  soon  had  those  who  held  the 
money,  and  were  able  to  buy  up  the  wheat  and  the  cat- 
tle, all  against  me,  and  there  were  hot  fights  every  day. 
In  the  midst  of  all  these  oppositions,  however,  the  Lord 
converted  souls.  Some  found  peace,  and  it  stirred  the 
neighborhood  tremendously,  and  some  of  the  people  be- 
came almost  infuriated  against  the  work,  being  constant- 
ly fed  with  bad  reports  concerning  the  Methodists.  But 
just  then  one  of  the  whiskey  distillers  seemed  to  be 
friendly  disposed,  and  offered  me  the  free  use  of  a  house 
that  was  unoccupied  at  the  time.  I  accepted  the  offer, 


120  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

and  took  good  courage,  working  hard  every  day,  con- 
stantly visiting  from  house  to  house,  and  praying  and 
preaching  whenever  an  opportunity  offered  itself.  The 
people  were  wonderfully  wrought  upon,  and  some  were 
mad. 

After  thus  laboring  for  a  few  months,  I  visited  Osor- 
no,  and  had  an  interview  with  the  pastor.  He  had 
heard  all  about  the  mad  persecutions  instigated  by  Mr. 
S.,  and  had  already  written  to  him ;  but  thought  it 
would  help  nothing.  Mr.  S.  had  taken  his  stand  against 
me,  and  now  he  would  not  yield  in  any  point.  Mr.  S. 
had  told  him  that  the  people  turned  crazy,  and  that  the 
peace  of  the  colony  was  much  disturbed.  I  did  not 
doubt  it  a  moment.  The  devil  had  held  sway  at  the 
Lake  these  many  years,  and  now  began  to  kick,  —  the 
only  hopeful  sign  for  their  souls,  and,  thanks  be  to  God, 
some  few  had  found  the  Saviour. 

THE  FIRST  CONVERT. 

I  did  some  visiting  in  the  town  before  I  left,  and 
found  the  young  German  lady  mentioned  before,  trust- 
ing in  the  Saviour.  Soon  after  I  had  left  Osorno,  after 
my  first  visit,  she  had  found  peace.  It  was  the  first  con- 
vert in  my  work  in  South  America.  Praise  the  Lord ! 
She  seemed  wonderfully  gifted  in  prayer,  and  manifested 
a  child-like  faith  in  the  new-found  Saviour.  On  my 
way  back  to  the  Lake,  I  made  an  arrangement  with 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  121 

some  of  the  people,  who  could  not  send  their  children 
to  school  because  of  the  distance  they  had  to  go,  that  I 
would  start  a  school  at  my  house  for  boys  and  girls,  and 
make  arrangements  to  board  and  lodge  them,  provided 
that  the  parents  furnish  the  bedding  and  a  certain 
amount  of  flour  or  wheat  and  potatoes,  and  such  veg- 
etables as  would  be  necessary  and  convenient,  to  be  sent 
each  month  in  a  boat  across  the  Lake,  to  where  I  lived. 
They  liked  the  idea,  and  I  gave  them  a  fixed  time  to 
think  over  it,  and  send  me  the  names  of  the  children, 
and  the  day  when  they  should  be  sent.  On  my  arrival 
home,  I  found  a  letter,  which  I  recognized  to  be  one 
from  Bro.  Hoffman ;  but  to  my  great  surprise,  read  that 
he  had  just  arrived  at  Puerto  Montt,  and  that  he  had 
been  compelled  to  leave  Valdivia.  My  first  object  was 
to  hurry  on  to  Puerto  Montt,  and  see  what  all  this 
meant,  for  I  hardly  knew  where  to  put  Bro.  H.,  when  I 
knew  he  could  not  be  supported  here. 

I  met  him,  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  yet  sor- 
rowful that  Valdivia  had  to  be  given  up.  He  had  suf- 
fered terribly  there.  He  and  dear  Sister  H.  had  been 
shamefully  slandered,  and  in  every  conceivable  way 
persecuted,  until  at  last,  although  reluctantly,  the  place 
was  given  up. 

Bro.  H.  had  called  a  meeting  at  the  school-house,  ir 
order  to  talk  to  the  people  and  make  some  arrangement 
for  his  remaining  in  the  city.  Many  came,  exclusively 


122  SIX  YEARS   WITH    WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

men,  bringing  with  them  their  long  German  pipes,  and 
sufficient  tobacco  and  cigars  to  fill,  in  a  short  time,  the 
room  with  smoke,  to  suffocation,  and  keeping  up  loud 
talking  and  such  a  noise  that  Bro.  II.  never  had  a  chance 
to  speak  ;  and  although  he  asked  those  present  to  lend 
him  an  ear,  they  did  not  regard  him.  In  fact,  the  men, 
to  all  intent,  purposed  to  drive  out  Bro.  Hoffman. 
Nothing  could  be  accomplished,  and  Bro.  II.  left  the 
room  with  a  heavy  heart ;  however,  not  intending  to 
give  up  the  struggle  so  soon,  they  found  a  friendly  fam- 
ily with  whom  they  lived  a  short  time,  and  the  enemies 
of  the  Cross  not  being  satisfied  with  their  work  of  per- 
secuting Bro.  H.,  turned  upon  all  those  who  came  in 
friendly  contact  with  him,  and  their  anger  was  kin- 
dled against  those  who  had  taken  Bro.  II.  and  wife  to 
their  house.  Most  shameful  reports  were  spread  con- 
cerning them,  and  at  last  they  were  compelled  to  ask 
Bro.  Hoffman  to  leave  the  house.  Bro.  II.  did  all  he 
could  to  remain  and  get  a  footing,  but  it  seemed  the 
Lord  permitted  these  things.  The  people  of  Valdivia 
had  an  offer  of  salvation,  and  this  time  rejected  it. 

Bro.  II.,  without  first  writing  to  me  about  his  inten- 
tions of  coming  to  Puerto  Montt,  started  at  once,  and 
thus  we  met  again.  On  the  south  side  of  the  Lake,  the 
Lord  had  raised  us  up  a  friend,  who  offered  to  Bro.  Hoff- 
man a  small  house  which  was  not  in  use  at  the  time,  and 
told  him  to  live  there  as  long  as  he  liked,  and  he  would 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  123 

not  charge  him  anything  for  rent.  So  it  was  decided 
that  Bro.  II.  should  move  to  the  Lake,  and  do  whatever 
the  Lord  might  have  for  him  to  do,  —  truly  the  harvest 
was  ripe  and  the  laborers  but  few.  I  returned  to  my 
post  as  soon  as  I  had  seen  Bro.  H.  and  wife  sheltered, 
and  I  found  that  about  six  children  had  applied  for 
admission  to  the  school.  It  was  a  beginning,  and 
I  hoped  the  dear  children  would  become  true  Christians, 
and  I  would  have  the  means  of  a  subsistence,  and  the 
Gospel  take  healthy  root  in  the  soil,  and  spread  more 
and  more  in  the  neighborhood;  and  the  same  time 
thought  Bro.  H.  would  do  the  same. 

TAKEN  PRISONER. 

Before  opening  my  school,  I  again  started  for  Osoruo, 
but  this  time  on  a  more  important  errand,  and  a  little 
different  from  the  first.  I  had  felt  fcr  some  little  time 
previous  that  some  time  or  other  I  would  have  to  take 
an  important  step  toward  settling  down  in  life,  and  form 
a  household  of  my  own.  After  much  prayer  on  the 
subject,  I  decided  to  take  the  step,  and  humbly  asked 
God  to  bless  me  in  the  selection  of  my  future  partner 
in  life.  The  one  whom  the  Lord  had  given  me  as  the 
first-fruit  of  my  labors  in  Chili,  I  had  selected,  and  I  felt 
I  loved  her  so  dearly  that  I  could  ask  her  to  become  my 
wife.  I  cannot  tell  how  I  felt  when  journeying  to  the 
place,  which  contained  what,  next  to  God,  and  the  souls 


124  SIX  YEARS  WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

of  the  lost,  I  loved  most  on  earth  ;  but  I  do  know  what 
I  felt  when,  taking  her  hand,  I  asked  her  to  become  my 
wife,  and  when  she  said  "  I  will."  But  I  propose  to 
keep  it  all  to  myself,  what  I  then  felt. 

In  the  evening  I  received  an  invitation  from  father 
and  mother,  and  soon  we  all  met  in  the  happy  family 
circle.  Both  parents  blessed  us,  and  then  we  knelt  in 
prayer  to  receive  the  Heavenly  Father's  blessing,  which 
was  richly  bestowed  upon  us  all.  The  aged  mother 
then  said :  "  I  have  eight  sons,  but  this  is  the  only 
daughter;  we  love  each  other  much;  but  take  her. 
You  are  a  man  of  God,  and  I  need  say  no  more.  I 
shall  rest."  In  two  weeks  after  this  event,  we  were 
united  in  holy  matrimony,  Bro.  Hoffman  officiating. 
It  was  a  solemn  hour,  and  God  was  with  us. 

A  MISSIONARY'S  PLEASANT  TRIP  TO  A  WEDDING. 

I  had  gone  to  the  north  side  of  the  Lake  to  meet 
Bro.  Hoffman  with  his  wife,  and  had  hired  horses  to 
take  them  to  Osorno.  Bro.  II.  and  his  good  wife  were  not 
accustomed  to  ride  much  on  horseback,  and  Bro.  Hoff- 
man behaved  rather  awkwardly  in  the  saddle.  I  called 
his  attention  to  the  stirrup  and  the  reins,  and  he  jok- 
ingly remarked  that  I  had  better  take  care  of  myself ; 
and  of  course,  between  us  the  trip  was  much  enjoyed, 
although  I  disturbed  Bro.  Hoffman's  mind  considerabty, 
and  complimented  him  on  his  excellent  (?)  horsemanship ; 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  125 

but  this  all  would  have  been  endurable  if  the  poor  ani- 
mal had  not  stumbled  "  just  a  little,"  just  then,  and 
thrown  poor  Henry  over  its  head,  with  force  enough  to 
send  him  about  fifteen  yards  ahead,  and  completely 
rolled  up  and  hid  away  in  his  large  p.onsho  —  a  square 
woollen  blanket  with  an  opening  in  the  centre  to  admit 
the  head  —  thus  serving  for  a  mantle,  and  a  good  pro- 
tection against  dust  or  rain,  —  a  garment  universally 
worn  in  South  America.  "While  the  good  brother  ex- 
tricated himself  from  his  ponsho,  I  started  in  another 
direction  to  pick  up  his  fine  tall  hat,  and  yonder  the 
cover  of  the  hat-box,  and  somewhere  else  the  lower 
half  of  the  box.  After  joining  things  a  bit,  and  as  soon 
as  we  could  quit  laughing  and  scramble  into  our  saddles, 
we  started  again  on  our  way,  rejoicing  that  no  bones 
had  been  broken,  only  the  brass  handle  to  the  hat-box 
missing.  All  that  Bro.  H.  said  was,  that  he  didn't 
know  how  in  the  world  this  could  have  happened,  —  in 
fact,  he  didn't  know  how  he  got  off  the  horse.  I 
thought  I  had  better  not  explain,  and  he  did  not  show 
any  resistance.  We  agreed  to  say  nothing  more  about 
it,  and  the  horse  did  not  stumble  any  more. 

We  soon  reached  an  inn,  and  we  were  glad  to  rest 
for  a  short  time,  and  refresh  ourselves  with  some  good 
milk,  bread,  and  cheese. 

Half  an  hour  later  we  had  to  pass  a  very  bad  place 
on  the  road  —  a  great  mud-hole ;  but  being  well  ac- 


126  SIX  YEAES   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

quainted  in  these  parts,  I  took  the  lead  and  bade  my 
brother  and  sister  follow  in  the  same  track.  I  got  across 
all  light,  and  dismounting,  I  turned  and  gave  direc- 
tions to  the  two.  Sister  Katie  followed,  but  she  was 
xery  timid,  and  I  called  to  her  to  take  firm  hold  on  the 
saddle  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  the  horse's 
mane.  The  horse  was  a  very  gentle  little  animal,  and 
stepped  very  carefully,  drawing  out  of  the  mud  one  leg 
after  another,  which,  however,  caused  him  to  lean  over 
a  little  on  one  side  as  he  walked,  and  every  time  Sister 
Katie  feared  lest  she  should  fall  over  into  the  mud. 
The  animal  was  just  placing  the  right  foot  on  terra 
firma,  when  I  heard  a  scream.  Sister  Katie  let  go  her 
hold  and  fell  right  over,  backwards,  into  the  mud,  head 
first,  of  course,  and  almost  disappeared  beneath  the 
troubled  waves,  —  well,  not  waves  either,  the  mud  was 
a  little  too  stiff  for  that,  and  it  would  seem  too  poetic. 
Really,  it  was  not  reminding  of  anything  very  poetic, 
when  I  jumped  right  after  her,  while  Bro.  II.  remained 
on  his  horse  like  one  "  struck  with  an  idea,"  and  began 
fishing.  Soon  our  tired  horses  were  standing  on  firm 
ground,  and  we  did  not  look  pretty,  —  no,  decidedly 
not ;  but  we  were  alive,  and  while  helping  each  other  to 
scrape  the  mud  off,  we  did  good  work  biting  our  lips  to 
keep  from  shouting  outright,  until  we  just  concluded  it 
was  no  use,  and  let  come  what  would.  Well,  we  pitied 
poor  Sister  Hoffman,  and  I  did  my  best  to  comfort  her, 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  127 

and  tried  to  assure  her  in  every  way  of  my  sympathy, 
although  I  did  not  succeed  as  well  as  I  wished  for. 
Then  we  tried  to  make  our  horses  respectable  looking, 
but  that  was  rather  hard  work,  and  we  gave  it  up.  We 
men  divested  ourselves  now  of  our  ponshos,  and  wrap- 
ping them  about  our  sister  as  well  as  I  could,  we  then 
rode  on,  trying  to  reach  Osorno  as  late  as  possible,  and 
showing  no  desire  for  further  investigation  of  the  con- 
dition cf  things  along  the  road ;  although  a  number  of 
opportunities  were  offered.  Sister  Katie  hoped  she 
would  soon  learn  to  ride,  and  the  comfort  of  such  a 
thought  seemed  to  do  her  good. 

After  spending  a  week  at  the  house  of  my  father-in- 
law,  I  departed  with  my  wife  to  the  Lake,  put  our 
house  in  order,  and  now  received  our  pupils.  When 
school  was  opened  I  had  ten  children  —  the  youngest 
being  twelve  years  old,  and  the  oldest  a  girl  of  twenty- 
two  —  a  native,  —  all  o,f  whom  could  not  read  or  write. 
There  was  work  to  be  done,  indeed.  There  were  at 
least  fifty  more  of  the  same  age,  and  not  better  taught. 
My  good  wife  and  I  loved  our  children,  and  they  learned 
well,  but  we  had  as  yet  not  received  anything  to  live 
upon;  the  children  had  brought  the  bedding,  but 
nothing  had  come  to  eat,  and  for  a  little  time  we  had 
nothing  except  what  we  received  in  direct  answer  to 
prayer.  One  day  when  we  had  nothing  in  the  house, 
and  had  nothing  to  give  to  the  children,  and  the  boats 


128  SIX  YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOU 

not  being  able  to  come  across  the  Lake,  as  was  ex- 
pected, on  account  of  stormy  weather,  we  bowed  to 
God  in  prayer,  as  we  had  done  so  often  before,  and  while 
praying  we  heard  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  opening  the 
door  we  saw  a  good  Bro.  K.,  who  had  come  a  distance 
of  two  hours  on  horseback,  and  as  he  unpacked  from 
his  saddle-bags  a  good  lot  of  provisions  —  a  large  blad- 
der of  butter,  a  ham,  some  smoked  sausages,  and  two 
large  loaves  of  bread,  and  some  fruit  —  he  told  us  that 
in  the  morning  he  felt  troubled  in  his  heart  concerning 
us,  and  following  the  impression  he  thus  received,  con- 
cluded that  he  would  take  with  him  these  things  and 
see  us.  When  we  told  him  that  we  had  expected  some- 
thing like  it,  he  was  much  overjoyed,  and  was  glad  that 
he  had  come. 

Support  came  in  very  sparingly  for  Bro.  Hoffman, 
and  also  for  us ;  but  we  never  lacked  anything.  Bro. 
H.  had  a  similar  experience,  an4  he  also  received  his 
bread  in  direct  answer  to  prayer.  One  day  we  received 
quite  a  boat-load  of  provisions  from  the  parents  of  the 
children  we  had  with  us,  and  it  was  sufficient  for  a 
month  ;  but  110  money  came  in  from  our  people  here  to 
buy  us  the  necessary  clothing.  But  we  looked  again  to 
God,  and  in  a  few  days  we  received  $200  from  some 
friends  at  Valparaiso  —  half  for  Bro.  H. 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  129 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  TEN  CHILDREN. 

The  work  of  salvation  was  going  on  gloriously  among 
our  children,  and  every  one  of  them  professed  conver- 
sion by  this  time,  and  all  prayed  as  the  Spirit  gave  them 
utterance,  around  the  family  altar.  My  wife  had  re- 
ceived a  piano  from  her  father,  and  she  taught  the  chil- 
dren to  sing  the  sweet  songs  of  Zion,  and  when  the  peo- 
ple gathered  on  the  Sabbath  for  public  worship,  they 
were  much  blessed  in  hearing  these  new  hymns  (I  had 
translated  some  from  the  Moody  and  Sankey  hymns). 
We  had  received  some  German  hymn-books,  which  Bro. 
Hoffmann  had  brought  with  him  from  the  States.  It 
looked  now,  as  far  as  the  school  was  concerned,  as 
though  we  should  succeed.  The  children  could  give  a 
reason  for  the  hope  that  was  within  them,  arid  they 
boldly  confessed  the  Saviour. 

But  a  storm  was  brewing.  The  persecutions  from 
the  outside  were  intensifying,  and  at  last  the  time  came 
when  certain  parties  had  so  far  succeeded  as  to  cause 
some  of  rny  patrons  to  take  their  children  from  the 
school.  The  poor  children  would  cry,  and  lament,  and 
they  would  not  quit  singing  their  beautiful  hymns,  nor 
would  they  neglect  their  prayers ;  and  a  cry  arose  that 
the  children  were  being  led  astray,  and  away  from  the 
old  religion  of  the  church.  Times  of  great  trial  came 
upon  us,  and  for  a  time  the  sky  seemed  very  dark ;  but 


130  SIX  YEAES   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOK 

in  these  seasons  of  affliction  the  Saviour  never  deserted 
us;  we  felt  His  presence  more  than  ever;  and  then, 
when  the  time  came  that  we  felt  the  work  had  better 
cease,  we  did  not  understand  it,  but  we  would  follow 
Jesus  and  He  should  lead  us.  We  had  at  last  only 
three  children,  and  oh,  how  hard  it  seemed  to  part  from 
them  !  We  felt  as  though  they  were  our  own ;  but  they 
said :  "  We  will  not  forget  or  deny  Jesus,  and  we  '11  tell 
our  parents  about  Jesus  when  we  get  home."  So  we 
sent  them  away  to  their  homes,  while  my  wife,  with 
myself,  prepared  to  visit  Bro.  Hoffman,  in  order  that 
we  might  take  counsel  as  to  what  was  best  to  do.  It 
was  clear  to  my  mind  that  one  of  us  would  have  to 
leave  the  field.  Bro.  II.  had  passed  through  similar  ex- 
periences ;  but  it  was  decided,  he  having  no  relatives  in 
this  country,  that  he  should  remain  at  the  post,  while  I 
concluded  to  go  to  Osorno  and  remain  at'  my  father-in- 
law's,  and  await  answer  from  Valparaiso  as  to  an  open- 
ing there  for  a  lasting  work  in  which  to  finally  establish 
ourselves  and  do  work  for  God,  if  the  people  wanted  us. 
Bro.  Hoffman  and  I  made  another  visiting  tour 
around  the  Lake,  and  we  met  with  blessed  success. 

A  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  FAMILY  CONVERTED  TO  GOD. 

Visiting  a  Roman  Catholic  family  where  the  Lord 
had,  through  Bro.  H.,  converted  the  daughter,  we  found 
the  mother,  father,  and  a  son,  under  conviction  for  sin. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  131 

They  invited  us  to  stay  over  night.  We  accepted  the 
invitation,  and  God  wonderfully  blessed  our  visit  to 
that  house.  While  kneeling  in  prayer,  the  mother 
could  not  hold  back  any  longer,  and  after  her  daughter 
had  prayed  for  her  dear  father  and  brother  and  mother, 
she  burst  out  in  tears,  and  making  her  humble  confes- 
sion to  God,  accepted  the  Saviour  to  be  her  Saviour 
from  sin.  Bro.  Hoffman,  kneeling  close  to  the  son, 
—  eighteen  years  old  —  asked  him  to  come  in  prayer  to 
God.  His  father  heard  it  and  said  :  "  Oh,  he  is  like  his 
father !  he  can't  pray  or  say  a  word  before  strangers  " ; 
but  just  then  the  son  opened  his  mouth  and  poured 
forth  his  soul  in  such  earnest  prayer  for  the  pardon  of 
his  sins,  that  we  all  wept  with  him ;  and  also,  in  the 
end,  before  rising  with  him,  we  could  rejoice  with  him, 
for  he  found  his  Saviour.  The  boy's  father  was  all 
broken  up  when  he  saw  what  was  done,  and  he  also 
stammered  his  plea  for  pardon.  Somehow  we  had 
moved  close  up  to  each  other  on  our  knees,  and  there 
was  a  scene  which  angels  love  to  behold.  A  whole 
family  born  again !  Glory  to  God !  There  was  great 
joy  in  that  house.  Truly  God  had  done  great  things 
here. 

After  much  prayer,  we  concluded  to  visit  the  pastor  at 
Puerto  Montt,  and  ask  him  to  cease  his  persecutions,  and 
to  relieve  the  people  of  their  contract  with  him,  so  that 
Bro.  H.  could  stay  among  the  people  and  receive  somo 


132  SIX  YEAKS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

support.  We  accordingly  set  out  on  our  errand,  and 
had  a  meeting  with  Mr.  S.  He  felt  very  uneasy  when 
he  was  confronted  by  us  ;  however,  he  tried  to  deny  the 
charges  brought  against  him ;  but  it  was  a  vain  attempt. 
But  we  did  not  desire  to  trouble  him  on  that  line  ;  but 
rather  come  to  some  arrangement  concerning  Bro.  II. 
Mr.  S.  would  not  yield  a  point,  and  thought  that  we 
better  both  go,  as  this  was  liis  field  of  labor.  He  was 
right  in  one  sense,  and  we  had  a  weak  point  there,  cer- 
tainly ;  but  to  prove  to  him  that  he  could  not  do  the 
work,  and  that  two  or  three  more  men  could  be  very 
useful  in  that  field,  we  could  not ;  at  any  rate,  to  say 
the  least,  he  felt  convinced  that  we  were  not  those  two 
men  who  ought  to  do  that  work,  or  help  him  to  do  it. 

I  then  spoke  to  him  about  the  result  of  our  work,  and 
asked  him  to  compare  it  with  the  former  work,  or  the 
condition  of  those  professing  conversion  previous  to  our 
coming.  There  we  touched  a  sore  spot,  and  the  poor 
man  grew  quite  excited.  He  thought  we  were  wolves 
in  sheep's  clothing,  and  deceiving  the  people,  and  only 
working  to  put  him  out  of  the  way.  Things  looked 
very  dark  indeed,  and  we  utterly  failed  to  come  to  any 
terms  with  him.  We  took  our  departure,  and  Bro.  Hoff- 
man told  him  that  he  should  remain,  although  I  would 
soon  leave. 

Bro.  Taylor  had  never  been  to  this  place  when  he  vis- 
ited the  West  Coast  of  South  America  two  years  ago. 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  133 

He  only  heard  from  the  colporteur  of  the  Bible  Society 
at  Valparaiso ;  who,  being  a  German,  had  ten  years  ago 
visited  these  colonies,  in  the  interest  of  his  Society,  and 
there  met  with  success,  both  in  preaching  and  the  sell- 
ing of  good  books,  and  reported  to  William  Taylor  as  he 
had  found  things  then.  Otherwise,  these  great  troubles 
might  have  been  avoided. 

However,  many  precious  souls  have  found  the  Sav- 
iour, and  I  feel  that  for  the  experience  I  have  had  here, 
I  am  greatly  strengthened,  and  hope  to  be  more  fit  for 
future  work  in  winning  souls  for  the  kingdom  of  God, 
than  heretofore.  I  feel  that  I  have  to  learn  so  much, 
and  I  pray  to  my  God  that  all  may  redound  to  His  glory, 
what  here  I  was  permitted  to  endure  and  undergo. 
Thanks  be  to  God,  who  keepeth  my  soul  in  perfect 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen. 

A  TRYING  CHANGE. 

Thus  I  left  Bro.  Hoffman  in  this  field,  not  with  bright- 
est prospects  of  reconciling  existing  difficulties  with  his 
earnest  and  faithful  labors ;  but  with  a  firm  hope  that 
something  would  give  way,  and  peace  be  established 
and  the  work  of  God  go  on  unhindered.  Before  leav- 
ing his  home,  however,  I  had  the_ satisfaction  of  hearing 
the  testimonies  of  the  old  man  and  his  wife,  who  had 
permitted  Bro.  H.  to  occupy  their  house.  They  both 
had  found  the  Saviour,  and  were  conscious  of  a  perfect 


134  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

salvation  from  sin.  Thus  God  was  pleased  to  honor 
his  servant  along  life's  roughest  road.  Glory  he  to  God 
in  the  highest ! 

Just  then  came  a  gift  of  $40  to  each  of  us  from  Val- 
paraiso. The  Lord  knew  what  we  stood  in  need  of, 
and  supplied  us  accordingly.  Bro.  Hoffman's  experi- 
ence on  the  faith  line  was  something  wonderful,  and  we 
were  a  great  comfort  to  each  other  while  being  privil- 
eged to  spend  a  few  days  together.  God  had  led  us  truly 
wonderfully,  in  these  days  of  trouble  and  fiery  persecu- 
tions ;  but  we  had  come  out  the  brighter  in  experience 
and  faith  toward  God. 

We  separated.  It  seemed  so  hard.  We  wept  on  each 
other's  necks.  We  had  passed  through  deep  waters  in 
a  comparatively  short  space  of  time.  For  a  moment 
the  past  swept  by  once  more,  and  in  it  all  we  could  but 
see  that  the  Lord  had  been  with  us,  and  that  nothing 
was  to  be  regretted.  Another  hearty  shake  of  the 
hand  —  a  holy  kiss  and  embrace — and  our  horses  gal- 
lopped  rapidly  across  the  pampas,  over  into  the  road 
leading  to  our  home,  which  was  soon  to  be  vacated 
again.  I  loved  the  spot  where  our  home  stood  —  about 
^two-hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Lake  at  our 
feet,  surrounded  by  beautiful  trees  of  the  forest,  open 
towards  the  water ;  and  away  across  the  beautiful  Lake, 
directly  opposite  our  house,  arose  the  volcano  —  Osorno 
—  2500  metres  above  the  waters  of  the  Lake,  covered 


rff   SOUTH  AMERICA.  135 

with  everlasting  snow.  I  loved  to  watch  the  sunset 
right  back  of  our  house,  casting  its  golden  hues  against 
the  snow-fields  of  the  volcano,  transforming  it  into  a 
mighty  mass  of  glowing  lava ;  or  the  moon  decking  it 
with  silvery  carpet.  Nature  seems  so  lovely  here ;  but 
then  the  picture  of  sin  rises  to  the  front,  with  all  its 
horrors,  and  dripping  with  the  tears  of  those  under  the 
power  of  the  prince  of  darkness.  But  in  nature  we 
had  a  Paradise.  It  is  the  spot  that  our  feet  did  cover. 
There,  with  God,  what  could  make  its  possession  bitter  ? 
And  then  we  are  reminded  of  God's  word  in  Joshua 
i.  2,  and  that  is  the  word,  and  it  is  our  spiritual  Paradise, 
heaven  in  the  soul,  —  God  —  Jesus  —  all.  Amen. 

My  last  sermon  was  to  be  preached  at  the  farm-house 
of  one  of  the  colonists,  about  a  mile  off.  It  was  large, 
and  would  accommodate  more  people  than  our  own. 
The  following  Sabbath  we  were  to  meet  them,  probably 
for  the  last  time  on  earth. 

A  SURE  WAY  TO  GET  BAD  ROADS  REPAIRED. 

The  next  day  the  justice  of  the  peace  came  to  me 
and  said :  "  You  are  going  to  preach  next  Sunday  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  S.  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  I  shall  preach  there."  - 
"  Well,  you  had  better  get  him  to  repair  the  road  lead- 
ing past  his  farm,  and'  you'll  do  a  better  thing  than  to 
be  preaching  nonsense  to  the  people.  I  have  been  to 
Mr.  S.  very  often  about  that  road,  but  he  refuses  to 


136  SIX  YEARS   WITH    WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

obey.  That's  the  sort  of  people  that  want  you  to  preach 
to  them." 

This  man  was  an  unbeliever,  and  had  often  before 
laughed  at  the  children  who  visited  my  school,  and 
often  asked  them  questions ;  but  the  children  would 
give  such  answers  that  he  was  put  to  shame,  and  gave 
up  troubling  them  any  more.  Now  he  came  to  me  and 
thought  to  make  light  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  to 
make  men  new  creatures.  I  told  him,  since  he  had  giv- 
en Mr.  S.  up,  the  Lord  would  take  him  in  hand,  and  the 
road  would  not  only  be  fixed,  but  Mr.  S.  would  be  a 
happy  man  and  a  good  neighbor.  The  infidel  sneered 
at  me,  and  said  he  would  never  see  it  done. 

I  was  much  troubled  concerning  S.  He  had  been  to 
my  meetings  several  times,  and  I  knew  him  to  be  any- 
thing but  a  good  neighbor,  and  he  was  very  obstinate 
man;  and  I  also  was  well  acquainted  with  that  bad 
road,  for  many  times  I  feared  that  my  horse  would  not 
be  able  to  carry  me  over  it.  I  prayed  that  day  much 
for  poor  Mr.  S.,  and  in  the  afternoon  my  mind  was  made 
up  to  ride  over  and  see  him.  However,  I  had  no  mes- 
sage to  give  him  concerning  the  repairing  of  the  road, 
but  I  did  feel  burdened  about  his  soul ;  and  when  I 
took  him  by  the  hand,  and  was  alone  with  him,  I  told 
him  that  I  had  been  much  exercised  about  his  soul  all 
day,  and  that  I  came  to  tell  him  to  give  his  heart  to 
Jesus.  I  reminded  him  how  that  he  had  heard  the 


IK   SOUTH  AMERICA.  137 

word  of  God  so  often,  and  that  now  he  had  given  his 
house  for  the  last  service  to  be  held  in  this  colony,  and 
that  I  thought  something  was  going  on  in  his  heart. 
I  had  noticed  that  while  I  was  speaking  to  him,  his 
head  dropped ;  and  when  he  looked  at  me  again,  when 
I  had  finished,  his  eyes  were  filled  with  tears,  and  lie 
told  me  that  he  had  been  troubled  all  day,  too,  and  that 
we  might  as  well  have  a  word  of  prayer  now,  and  settle 
the  question  with  the  Lord.  So  we  knelt  down  and 
prayed.  First  I  prayed,  and  then  he  prayed  for  himself. 
The  prayer  was  answered  immediately,  and  he  found 
peace  and  confessed  it  joyfully.  My  message  was  de- 
livered, and  the  Lord  had  taken  care  of  the  results,  and 
we  now  parted,  hoping  to  meet  day  after  to-morrow,  on 
the  Sabbath. 

Sunday  morning  we  rode  over  to  what  was  now  Bro. 
S.  But  what  did  we  find  before  we  reached  the  house  ? 
Why,  we  hardly  believed  our  eyes,  —  we  scarcely  recog- 
nized the  spot  where  once  was  the  bad  road.  Trees 
and  bushes  had  been  cut  down,  a  narrow  bridge  had 
been  constructed  to  allow  the  water  to  run  off  freely, 
and  great  labor  had  evidently  been  spent  here  only  re- 
cently, to  put  the  road  into  proper  shape.  I  guessed  it 
all,  and  praised  the  Lord  for  what  He  had  done.  Bro. 
S.  met  us  on  the  road,  and  reaching  out  both  hands, 
bade  us  a  hearty  good  morning,  and  then  said :  "  Well, 
Bro.  K.,  after  ycu  had  left  my  house  on  Friday,  I  thought 


138  SIX  YEARS  WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

it  was  high  time  to  fix  that  road,  and  that  you  should 
travel  over  that  road  to  my  house  on  Sunday  dry  shod, 
and  I  experienced  great  pleasure  in  repairing  it ;  but, 
thanks  be  to  God  !  I  really  did  it  it  to  glorify  God,  for 
the  people  have  been  after  me  for  some  time  about  that 
road."  When  people  get  converted  to  God,  they  always 
will  do  right.  That  is  just  what  religion  will  do  for 
man.  It  will  clean  up  filthy  houses  when  the  hearts 
are  emptied  of  filthy  sin.  It  will  repair  bad  roads,  if 
once  the  highway  for  the  King  has  been  cast  up  in  the 
soul.  Thanks  be  to  God  for  a  heartfelt  religion  I 
Amen.  Praise  the  Lord ! 

We  had  a  glorious  Gospel  feast  that  day,  and  the 
wife  of  Bro.  S.  was  converted  to  God,  and  some  others 
seemed  to  be  convicted  of  sin.  One  old  man  said : 
"  Oh,  it  is  so  hard  to  take  hold  of  God  after  serving  the 
devil  so  many  years  !  I  have  the  Bible  at  my  house, 
and  am  reading  in  it  sometimes  to  appease  my  troubled 
conscience ;  but  I  never  was  in  real  earnest,  and  the 
truth  was  not  disclosed  to  me,  and  I  know  I  am  as  far 
away  from  God  as  ever."  Poor  man !  He  wept,  but 
could  not  lay  hold  upon  Christ.  I  left  him  in  that  con- 
dition ;  but  trust  he  will  yet  find  pardon.  How  dan- 
gerous it  is  to  wait  and  carelessly  live  in  sin!  The 
Lord  will  not  be  mocked ;  what  a  man  soweth,  that 
shall  he  also  reap.  Scripture  is  terribly  true,  and  it 
says  (Prov.  v.  21),  "  His  own  iniquities  shall  take  the 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  139 

wicked,  and  he  shall  be  holden  with  the  cords  of  his 
sin."  How  hard  it  seems  to  break  loose  when  we  find 
how  the  cords  of  our  sins  bind  us  down  !  Practice  and 
habit  —  who  shall  deliver  us  from  the  body  of  this 
death?  Thanks  be  to  God,  through  Jesus  our  Lord, 
and  only  through  Him,  we  can  be  delivered.  Without 
deliverance  through  Jesus  we  are  ever  wretched.  The 
Lord  save  the  people. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  CHANGE  TO  THE  CITY. 

OUE,  work  was  done  in  these  parts,  and  precious  seed 
had  been  sown  to  the  last.  What  will  the  harvest  be  ? 
Thanks  be  to  God,  we  knew  the  work  of  God  did  not 
end  with  our  going.  The  promise  that  the  word  should 
accomplish  that  whereunto  it  had  been  sent,  was  just  as 
good  now  as  ever  it  was  before.  God  is  still  the  hus- 
bandman, and  He  who  causes  the  birds  of  the  air  and 
the  winds  to  carry  the  little  grains  of  seed  to  the  bare 
and  rocky  mountains,  where  in  some  way  they  germi- 
nate, strike  root,  and  grow  up  to  praise  the  Maker,  will 
not  suffer  that  one  of  His  blessed  words,  bearing  the 
germ  of  eternal  life,  should  be  lost.  As  storms,  and 
rains,  and  cold,  and  heat,  only  seem  to  contribute  to  pre- 
serve the  former  until  it  has  accomplished  its  design,  so 
in  the  latter  case,  no  odds,  no  human  power  nor  devilish 
ragings,  shall  prevail  against  it.  The  storms  of  ages 
shall  fan  the  spark  to  blazing  fire.  There  I  rest  it  with 
God.  Praise  His  name ! 

We  bade  adieu  to  our  cottage  on  the  hill — we  waved 
our  hand  across  the  beautiful  Lake,  and  the  volcano  had 
hid  its  form  behind  a  pure  white  cloud.  Our  hearts 

140 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  141 

were  sorely  tried ;  but  thus  our  God  permitted  it  all. 
One  last  look  as  we  reached  the  northern  extremes  of 
the  Lake,  and  then  our  road  turned  sharp  to  the  west. 
In  ten  hours  we  reached  Osorno. 

A  WONDERFUL  DELIVERANCE  ON  HORSEBACK.     , 

Ten  hours  on  horseback ;  but  both  my  dear  wife  and 
I  were  tolerable  riders,  and  we  felt  not  over-tired,  when, 
late  that  day  —  it  was  9.30  p.  M.  —  we  reached  the  pa- 
rental homestead.  However,  before  reaching  the  city, 
it  being  very  dark,  in  crossing  a  bridge  we  did  not  ob- 
serve the  defective  condition  of  the  same,  and  I  had 
just  passed  across,  when  behind  me  I  heard  the  bridge, 
with  a  loud  crash,  break  down,  beneath  the  weight  of 
the  horse  and  its  precious  burden.  But  just  as  I  alighted 
from  my  horse  to  run  to  assist  my  poor  wife,  whom  I 
supposed  to  be,  at  least,  severely  hurt,  the  horse  and 
rider  stood  beside  me  as  though  nothing  had  occurred, 
She  only  in  silence  reached  down  her  hand,  which  I 
sought  with  both  of  mine,  and  said  :  "  I  am  safe,  thank 
God  !  "  The  horse,  it  appeared,  had,  on  touching  the 
ground,  with  one  mighty  leap  regained  the  bank  on  my 
side  of  the  ditch,  and  my  wife  had  remained  in  the  sad- 
dle, neither  of  them  being  hurt  in  the  least.  The  whole 
was  a  work  of  a  few  seconds,  and  it  seemed  a  miracu- 
lous deliverance. 


142          SIX  YEAES  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

IN  OSORNO. 

While  awaiting  letters  from  Valparaiso  from  our 
brethren  there,  I  was  not  resting  and  folding  my  arms. 
I  found  Mr.  R.,  the  pastor,  preparing  for  his  return  to  Eu- 
rope, and  heard  through  him  that  another  man  would 
take  his  place,  as  he  did  not  expect  to  return  to  this 
country.  I  began  visiting  the  people,  and  found  them 
in  almost  the  same  condition  as  those  at  the  Lake.  Mr. 
R.  was  a  good  man,  but  weak,  and  getting  discouraged, 
he  gave  up  the  work  and  left  the  field.  One  day  I  vis- 
ited a  man  who  was  confined  to  his  room.  He  was  glad 
that  I  had  come,  but  when  I  spoke  to  him  concerning 
Jesus  and  his  soul,  he  became  so  angry  that  he  opened 
the  door  and  asked  me  to  leave  his  house  as  quick  as 
possible.  He  said :  "  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  that  name." 
I  did  not  doubt  it  a  moment,  and  I  asked  him  to  permit 
me  to  pray  with  him,  and  then  I  would  go.  The  man 
had  no  desire  to  yield  to  my  wish,  but,  opening  my  Bi- 
ble, I  began  to  read,  and  he  shut  the  door ;  then  I 
prayed  earnestly  for  his  soul.  When  I  arose  I  saw  the 
man's  face  looked  terrible.  I  could  not  help  but  think 
of  Cain  when  the  Lord  asked  him :  "  Why  is  thy  coun- 
tenance fallen  ?  "  The  man  again  stepped  to  the  door, 
and  said :  "  Please  leave  me  ;  I  cannot  bear  this."  I 
deeply  felt  for  the  poor  man,  and  thought,  What  will 
it  be  in  the  day  of  judgment,  and  is  not  this  true,  what 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  143 

the  Lord  of  the  living  and  the  dead  tells  us  concerning 
the  rich  man  in  hell  ?  How  will  the  unsaved  —  those 
who  reject  Christ  on  earth  —  bear  the  sight  of  the 
great  white  throne  ?  not  to  speak  of  Him  who  sitteth 
thereon.  How  will  they  bear  the  songs  of  the  redeem- 
ed—  how  bear  the  testimonies  of  the  blood-washed 
throng  ?  But  last  of  all,  how  bear  the  memory  of  the 
past  —  the  remembrance  of  never-returning  opportuni- 
ties, lost  ?  When  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  at 
the  sight,  will  they  be  able  to  resist  that  irresistible, 
sweeping  force,  and  not  be  carried  away  to  their  eternal 
doom  ?  Sin  sinks  into  eternal  misery.  Away  from  God, 
—  oh,  what  a  hell ! 

A  Mr.  Worldly-wise  said  once  to  me :  "  Oh,  this  busi- 
ness of  '  hell '  has  quit,  —  it 's  '  hades '  now."  I  told 
him,  if  he  did  n't  repent  he  would  be  permitted  to  live 
in  "  hades,"  when  he  sinks  into  hell.  The  question  of 
choice  would  then,  perhaps,  not  come  up  in  his  mind. 
But  thanks  be  to  God,  while  we  live  we  may  choose 
"  to-day,"  and  in  Jesus  we  find  power  "  this  day,"  to  fix 
our  eternal  destiny.  What  wondrous  power  I 

"  O  wondrous  grace  !    O  wondrous  love  I 
That  called  a  Saviour  from  above 
To  die  on  Calvary  ! " 

Mr  R.  had  left,  and  I  applied  for  the  church,  and 
asked  the  privilege  of  preaching  there.  It  was  grunt <M I 
to  me.  A  neighbor  had  lost  a  sou  by  death.  I  visited 


144  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

the  parents  and  found  them  quarrelling  with  God. 
They  did  not  know  Him,  and  so  now  quarrelled  with 
Him.  They  had  never  sought  to  make  His  acquaint- 
ance, and  yet  they  knew  He  was  cruel  and  unjust* 
They  had  never  read  the  Bible,  but  they  knew  it  was 
untrue.  They  were  left  to  themselves,  and  yet  won- 
dered that  they  were  comfortless,  and  found  themselves 
without  a  hope  for  their  boy,  without  a  hope  for  them- 
selves. They  knew  everybody  had  to  die  except  them- 
selves. Oh,  what  wretchedness,  what  misery !  It  seems, 
so  hard  to  comfort  here.  They  really  need  to  see  their 
sins  in  the  light  of  the  Gospel.  They  must  know  that 
they  are  lost,  and  hear  that  there  is  a  Saviour  —  a  way 
of  salvation. 

MY  FIEST  FUNERAL  SERMON. 

I  was  invited  to  officiate  at  the  funeral,  and  I  prom- 
ised to  bury  the  boy.  I  hoped  that  many  of  their 
friends  would  be  present  at  the  funeral,  and  that  it 
might  be  an  occasion  of  great  blessing  to  the  people. 
I  was  not  mistaken,  for  a  great  many  of  those  who  were 
not  accustomed  to  go  to  church,  were  present,  and  God 
led  the  discourse.  I  was  much  blessed,  and  the  central 
question  was  put  very  pointedly,  "  How  is  it  with  thy 
soul?"  and,  "Prepare  to  meet  thy  God."  Some  left 
the  grave  before  I  had  finished  the  preaching,  and  I  saw 
they  had  left  in  anger.  Amen.  Others  were  thought- 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  145 

ful,  and  others,  again,  seemed  convicted.  I  was  not 
home  long  when  a  tall,  heavy  German  entered  my  room, 
desiring  to  see  me.  The  man  seemed  to  be  in  a  state 
of  excitement,  and  I  guessed  what  was  up.  He  asked 
me  how  I  dared  to  suppose  that  he  was  a  sinner,  and 
how  I  dared  to  talk  at  a  funeral  as  though  the  people 
needed  my  discourse.  I  told  him  politely  that  really  I 
thought  the  poor  dead  boy  did  n't  need  it,  and  would  n't 
care  whether  I  praised  him  or  not,  and  that  the  occasion 
had  been  too  solemn  to  think  of  talking  only  about  the 
dead.  "  No  man  liveth  to  himself,  and  no  man  dieth  to 
himself,"  and  on  these  grounds  I  thought  a  lesson  was 
to  be  derived  for  those  remaining  on  earth. 

The  man  began  to  curse,  and  swore  frightfully  at  me  ; 
but  the  Lord  kept  me  sweet.  I  made  no  more  reply, 
and  when  he  saw  I  did  not  get  angry  with  him,  he  did 
not  know  what  to  do,  and  became  rather  confused.  He 
looked  like  a  man  that  had  undertaken  a  manly  job, 
and  was  not  able  to  finish  it.  He  was  looking  for  a  big 
quarrel  —  a  fight  —  and  an  attempt  on  my  part  to  throw 
him  out  doors ;  but  no  such  thing  occurred.  The  poor 
fellow  was  bitterly  disappointed,  and  when  in  a  friendly 
manner  I  asked  "him  to  take  a  seat,  he  turned  to  the 
door  and  left  the  house.  But  he  felt  still  worse  when 
he  saw  his  friends,  who  had  waited  on  the  street  for 
him,  laughing  at  him,  and  saying,  loud  enough  for  me 
to  hear  it :  "  Well,  we  thought  you  'd  eat  the  man  alive, 
and  here  you  are  already ! " 


146  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOE 

The  man  turned  to  see  whether  I  had  noticed  this, 
and  then,  ashamed  of  himself,  he  silently  disappeared, 
not  caring  for  his  friends. 

I  heard  afterwards  that  he  had  intended  to  give  me  a 
good  thrashing,  and  had  boasted  among  his  friends  that 
he  would  do  the  job  so  well  as  to  remove  my  desire  for 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  people.  If  these  dear  men 
would  only  fall  out  with  themselves,  it  would  help  them, 
and  discover  to  them  their  friends  (?),  who  laugh  at 
them  when  they  get  into  trouble.  Who  will  stick 
closer  than  a  brother,  or  who  is  the  "  true  Friend  "  ? 
Friend  may  give  his  life  for  a  friend,  but  to  what  profit? 
Only  Jesus,  dying,  and  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  will 
save  the  soul.  There  is  no  real  value  in  the  death  of 
any  making  such  a  sacrifice, —  the  glory  of  it  fades 
away,  as  the  grass  that  to-day  is,  and  is  cast  into  the  fire 
to-morrow,  —  except  the  death  of  Jesus.  At  the  sound 
of  that  story  of  the  Cross,  millions  have  found  the  sal- 
vation of  a  never-dying  soul ;  at  the  sound  of  the  story 
of  a  risen  Jesus,  millions  have  understood,  "  What  is 
life?"  .At  the  sound  of  the  mere  mention  of  Jesus' 
name,  millions  have  been  thrilled,  and  the  hopes  that 
pass  human  knowledge  and  understanding,  have  been 
called  to  life  within  the  soul,  and  have  become  tangible 
to  the  grasp  of  childlike  faith ;  and  a  personal  Holy 
Ghost  has  manifested  Himself,  showing  us  things  to 
come. 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  147 

"  O  't  is  glory  !    O  'tis  glory  I 

O  't  is  glory  in  my  soul  I 
I  have  touched  the  hem  of  His  garment 
And  His  power  doth  make  me  whole." 

Persecution  began  also  in  this  place.  The  people 
had  not  heard  the  truth,  and  had  been  permitted  to  go 
on  in  sin  quite  undisturbed.  A  man  —  one  of  the  offi- 
cials of  the  church  —  told  me  that  I  might  have  the 
church  every  Sunday,  but  I  must  cease  preaching  about 
sin  and  the  Saviour.  The  other  preacher  had  to  com- 
ply with  their  wish,  and  I  might  as  well  do  the  same 
thing,  if  I  meant  to  succeed.  I  asked  the  man  :  "  What 
did  your  pastor  preach,  then?  "  "  Oh,  he  told  us  to  be 
good,  but  we  didn't  mind  that  much ;  he  liked  to  enjoy 
himself  as  well  as  we  did." 

Now,  I  thought,  as  to  the  preaching,  it  is  just  what 
some  others  do  in  the  pulpit  —  "  telling  the  people  to 
be  good."  That  is  about  what  some  sermons  amount 
to.  I  was  not  surprised  to  find  the  people  in  such  a 
state  of  rebellion  against  God  and  his  messenger.  They 
had  been  playing  at  "sugar-coating,"  and  now  the 
"medicine,"  being  applied  to  cure  the  disease, "  cramped  " 
their  stomachs. 

PREACHING  TO  NATIVES. 

In  the  midst  of  these  persecutions,  the  Lord  con- 
verted my  brother-in-law,  who  lay  very  sick  with  con- 
sumption. We  earnestly  prayed  for  him,  and  he  rallied 


148  SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

somewhat ;  and  he  said  if  God  would  restore  him  to 
health,  he  would  yet  go  to  study  and  preach  the  Gos- 
pel. He  seemed  to  get  much  better,  and  he  was  so  ear- 
nest that  he  said  to  me  one  day :  "Let  us  go  into  the 
country  and  preach  to  the  natives,  and  I  will  interpret 
for  you."  Accordingly  we  set  out,  and  held  several 
meetings  in  "the  neighborhood,  and  the  people  were 
much  interested  to  hear  the  word,  although  they  were 
severely  reproved  by  the  priests.  But  the  Lord  permit- 
ted the  young  man  to  sink  back  into  his  old  disease, 
and  he  soon  grew  so  weak  that  he  could  preach  no 
longer.  I  had  hoped  that  he  would  entirely  recover  his 
health,  and  become  a  worker  in  the  Lord's  vineyard. 

Returning  one  Sabbath  morning  from  a  meeting  with 
the  natives,  we  met  a  number  of  wealthy  Germans,  who 
had  gone  out  for  a  ride  to  the  country.  When  they 
saw  me,  as  they  passed  by,  they  cursed  me.  I  thanked 
God  for  the  grace  that  enabled  me  to  offer  silent  prayer 
for  those  men.  Seven  years  ago  I  probably  should 
have  challenged  them  to  fight  a  duel,  in  German  fash- 
ion. God  wondrously  saved  me  from  anger  when  He 
removed  the  "roots  of  bitterness"  —  the  moment  He 
sanctified  my  soul,  "through  and  through,"  and  gave 
me  the  gift  of  perfect  love. 

AMONG  THE  CHILDREN. 

Now,  I  thought,  the  time  had  come  that  something 
should  be  done  for  the  children,  and  accordingly  I  went 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  149 

out  on  the  street  —  my  wife  and  I  —  and  invited  them 
in,  and  these  dear  lambs  learned  to  sing,  and  they  en- 
joyed it  so  much.  The  Lord  blessed  me  so  with  these 
children,  that  some  of  them  would  pray  in  their  little 
gatherings,  and  in  their  way  confess  that  they  loved  the 
Saviour.  Oh,  these  hours  with  the  children !  How 
anxious  they  seemed  to  learn  of  Jesus !  We  had  sing- 
ing and  prayer  every  afternoon  for  one  hour,  and  the 
Bible-class  on  the  Sabbath. 

One  day  two  little  boys  came  to  see  me,  and  the 
younger  one  said :  "  Mr.  1C,  I  have  a  dollar  here  for 
you ;  will  you  take  it?  "  I  drew  the  boy  towards  me, 
and  told  him  that  I  would  take  the  money,  providing 
he  would  tell  me  how  he  got  it.  The  little  fellow 
lAished,  but  could  not  say  a  word,  —  he  looked  con- 
fused, and,  looking  at  his  brother  and  me,  he  was 
tearing  his  finger-nails.  Then  I  set  him  on  my  knee, 
and  tried  to  persuade  him  to  tell  me  all  about  it.  It 
was  a  long  time  before  he  yielded,  and  it  was  when  he 
saw  that  his  brother  was  about  to  open  his  mouth  to 
make  the  confession.  He  then  told  me,  in  his  childish 
way,  and  I  thought  it  was  so  sweet  to  listen  to  him  (and 
it  takes  good  boys  to  tell  it  alone)  :  — 

"  My  brother  and  I  asked  mother  to  let  us  cut  some 
wood  for  the  stove,  one  day,  and  we  liked  the  work, 
and  then  I  said  to  mother :  '  Will  you  give  us  twenty- 
five  cents  if  we  cut  an  ox-cart  full  of  wood  ? '  Mother 


150  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

laughed,  and  said,  4  Yes.'  Now,  when  we  had  finished 
our  lessons  in  the  evening  we  run  out  into  the  wood 
and  cut  a  little  every  day ;  but  mother  didn't  know  we 
cut  much.  Yesterday  we  asked  ma  to  give  us  an  ox- 
cart and  one  of  the  farm  hands,  to  bring  in  the  wood 
that  we  cut;  and  we  brought  in  four  big  loads. 
'  Mother,'  we  said,  '  you  must  now  give  us  a  dollar,  be- 
cause there  are  four  big  loads ' ;  but  she  wouldn't  give 
us  the  money,  because  she  thought  we  would  spend  it. 
We  didn't  want  to  tell  ma  what  we  wanted  the  money 
for ;  but  she  made  us  tell  it,  and  I  told  her  it  was  to  be 
for  the  missionary. 

Oh,  that  touched  my  heart,  and  I  wept  like  a  child. 
That  was  too  much  for  me.  I  kissed  the  boys,  and  they 
ran  out  so  full  of  joy.  These  were  two  boys  of  eight 
and  twelve  years,  cutting  wood  to  earn  a  dollar  for  the 
missionary !  Praise  the  Lord !  Surely  the  Lord  was 
working  among  the  children. 

A  young  man  came  and  asked  me  to  give  him  a  book 
to  read.  I  gave  him  "  Woltersdorf's  Letters."  Turning 
the  leaves  over  carelessly,  he  asked  whether  there  were 
any  "nice  stories  "  in  it.  I  said  that  I  remembered  the 
time  when  I  was  about  eighteen  years  old,  when  I  sat 
down  and  shed  tears  over  some  idle  tale  —  some  novel 
—  if  it  was  written  in  some  way  affecting,  and  I  liked 
it.  Next  I  remembered  the  time  when  I  read  the  story 
of  God's  love  to  man  in  sin,  and  I  shed  tears,  and  it 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  151 

saved  my  soul ;  while  the  former  damned  my  soul.  He 
took  the  book  without  asking  questions. 

On  the  first  of  November,  I  was  invited  out  to  the 
country  to  preach.  We  had  a  great  blessing.  One  sis- 
ter, seventy-nine  years  of  age,  came  up  to  me  after  the 
preaching,  and  taking  me  by  the  hand,  said:  "I  know 
now  that  I  am  the  Lord's,"  and  another  younger  sister 
said :  "  I  have  made  a  full  step  to  the  front."  I  had 
preached  from  Rev.  ii.  10.  It  seemed  that  heaven  was 
open,  and  we  saw  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand  of 
God. 

On  the  way  home,  I  desired  much  to  see  a  family  liv- 
ing near,  and  turning  my  horse,  made  my  way  toward 
the  house.  The  head  of  the  house  had  noticed  my  com- 
ing, and  there  were  visitors  at  the  house ;  and  I  was  sor- 
ry to  see  they  were  drinking  hard ;  I  thought  it  best  not 
to  dismount,  and  waving  my  hand  toward  the  party, 
turned  to  leave ;  but  the  whole  party  came  to  the  door, 
bringing  their  drink  with  them ;  and  at  once  insisted 
that  1  should  drink  with  them,  —  just  because  they  knew 
I  did  not  use  stimulants,  nor  drink  water  for  mere  pleas- 
ure. They  sought  a  quarrel.  I  politely  refused,  when 
they  poured  out  curses  and  swore  awfully  at  me. 

POLITE  WITH  DOGS. 

The  house-father  then  turned  loose  four  large  dogs, 
and  excited  them  to  take  hold  of  me.  I  calmly  bade 


152  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

them  good-by,  the  dogs  barking  furiously,  but  not  dar- 
ing to  touch  me  nor  the  horse,  as  I  slowly  rode  off. 
People  saLl  they  wondered  that  the  dogs  did  not  tear 
me  in  pieces ;  they  were  known  to  be  dangerous  ani- 
mals. I  understood  it  all  right,  for  on  another  occasion 
a  large  dog  confronted  me,  and  taking  off  my  hat,  I 
politely  bowed  to  Mr.  Dog.  He  growled,  and,  complete- 
ly overcome,  retired  to  one  side,  but  steadily  looked 
after  me  until  I  was  out  of  sight.  Now  I  do  think  we 
try  to  treat  men  —  our  enemies  —  a  little  better  when 
we  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  our  behavior, 
while  they  are  raging,  will  strike  them  something  like  a 
new  idea,  and  before  they  recover,  the  steam  is  blown 
off. 

"  The  servant  is  not  above  his  Master ;  but  every  one 
that  is  perfect  shall  be  as  his  Master."  This  is  a  word 
of  which  we  might  say :  "  Lo,  now  dost  thou  speak 
plainly."  More  like  Him — be  "  as  his  Master.  A  man 
who  professed  to  know  the  Lord,"  said  to  me  he  did  not 
believe  it  right  to  go  to  God  in  prayer  for  every  "  little 
thing."  I  told  him  the  very  hairs  of  our  head  were 
numbered,  and  not  one  of  them  is  left  unnoticed,  and 
asked  him  whether  he  did  not  think  that  a  hair  was 
rather  a  small  affair  ?  When  the  Lord  washes  the  heart, 
he  levels  our  head,  to  be  sure,  and  the  whole  man,  with 
everything  belonging  to  him,  is  under  supervision  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  However,  some  people,  I  find,  are  great 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  153 

men  —  great  women  —  and  only  deal  wholesale ;  but 
they  find  that  the  scales  turn  on  them,  and  the  Lord 
does  n't  mind  "  these  little  things." 

Now  when  the  work  among  the  children  began  to  be 
noticed,  the  teachers  began  their  work  of  pulling  down 
what  was  built  up.  They  abused  the  children  at  school 
for  attending  the  meetings,  and  at  last  succeeded  in 
causing  the  parents  to  forbid  their  coming  to  me.  Most 
of  the  parents  of  those  attending  the  Sunday-school 
were  ungodly,  and  soon  only  the  two  little  wood-cut- 
ters remained  —  both  parents  being  godly  people. 

By  this  time,  I  needed  a  new  suit  of  clothing,  and  I 
talked  to  God  about  it,  and  said  that  in  His  infinite 
goodness  He  might  provide  me  with  necessary  garments. 
My  father-in-law,  if  he  had  known  anything  about  it, 
would  have  at  once  responded ;  but  this  I  did  not  want. 
The  Lord  had  led  me  to  depend  on  Him,  and  I  let  the 
matter  rest  in  His  hands.  We  had  an  old  stove  which 
we  had  used  at  the  Lake,  and  a  young  man  had  heard 
of  it,  and  came  to  inquire  whether  we  would  sell  it.  I 
had  not  thought  that  any  one  would  buy  the  stove,  as  it 
was  in  somewhat  defective  condition.  I  told  him  what 
I  thought,  but  he  insisted  on  having  it,  and  so  I  showed 
it  to  him,  and  especially  the  broken  parts.  He  said  he 
would  take  the  stove  and  repair  it,  and  handing  me  $17, 
said  he  had  taken  that  amount  with  him,  arid  that  I 
was  welcome  to  it.  The  following  Sabbath,  after  the 


154  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

preaching  at  our  house,  a  sister  took  me  aside,  and  plac- 
ing $20  in  my  hand,  said :  "  A  person  not  wishing  to  be 
known,  sends  you  this."  I  had  never  intimated  to  any 
one,  by  a  word,  that  I  had  need  of  anything,  —  except 
to  God,  —  and  never  until  now  had  I  received  any  as- 
sistance in  money  to  this  amount  from  anybody,  with 
the  exception  of  the  dollar  from  the  two  boys.  So  the 
Lord  supplied  my  need,  and  to  Him  belonged  all  the 
glory.  Praise  His  name  !  The  cloth  was  then  bought, 
and  a  tailor  came  to  the  house  and  there  made  the  suit 
for  me.  Some  people  are  so  "  God-fearing,"  as  to  be 
afraid  to  trust  God  with  their  wants.  The  Lord  have 
pity  on  us  !  The  Lord  answers  prayer. 

The  following  Sabbath  I  was  invited  to  preach  five 
miles  south  of  Osorno.  A  good  number  were  present. 
I  preached  from  Heb.  i.  1-3.  God  graciously  manifest- 
ed Himself  to  some  present,  and  some  entered  into  life, 
while  some  were  hardened.  Oh,  the  terrible  infidelity 
of  these  Germans  is  heart-sickening!  But  had  I  not 
been  there  myself?  Has  not  the  power  of  Jesus  reach- 
ed even  me?  My  soul,  wait  thou  upon  God:  thou 
shalt  yet  see  thy  desire. 

On  my  way  home,  a  German  accompanied  me,  also  on 
horseback,  who  was  very  angry  that  I  went  about 
preaching  the  word  of  God;  and  being  exceedingly 
mad  against  me,  used  frightful  language.  In  my  heart 
I  prayed  for  the  man,  and  he  was  the  more  angry  when 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  155 

he  saw  me  patiently  riding  along ;  and  then,  shaking 
his  fist  in  my  face,  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  crying  out : 
"  You  are  a  fool !  "  dashed  away,  out  of  sight.  I  re- 
member that  man's  face  well,  distorted  with  rage,  only 
because  he  had  heard  the  truth,  and  it  had  struck  him 
to  the  heart ;  and  with  all  his  might  —  Satan  helping 
Mm  —  he  shook  off  the  conviction  for  sin.  Somehow, 
some  one  would  always  get  mad ;  but,  thanks  be  to  God ! 
some  always  found  the  Saviour.  The  men  were  terribly 
steeped  in  sin  and  crime,  and  shameless  before  their 
wives  and  children ;  but,  alas !  in  many  instances,  the 
wife  and  even  small  cMldren  were  as  bad,  in  a  way  I 
had  never  witnessed  elsewhere.  I  praised  God  that  He 
counted  me  worthy  to  suffer  for  His  name's  sake.  Thus 
the  armor  is  kept  bright  and  grace  abounds.  Glory  to 
God  for  the  perfect  love  in  my  soul ! 

This  same  man  had  been  sick,  nigh  unto  death,  only 
two  weeks  ago.  He  desired  me  then  to  pray  for  him. 
He  seemed  as  meek  as  a  lamb,  but  the  Lord  had  spared 
Ms  life,  and  he  had  forgotten  the  mercy  of  God,  and 
broken  Ms  vow,  —  and  how  many  are  doing  just  the 
same  thing  ?  Faith,  hope,  charity ;  but  the  greatest  is 
charity.  No  wonder,  then,  the  Lord  practices  it  on 
man,  —  it  conquers  the  world, —  it  has  conquered  me. 

About  this  time  we  had  a  visit  from  Bro.  Hoffman. 
His  work  at  the  Lake  was  hard,  and  he  suffered  much 
persecution.  On  one  occasion  their  life  was  in  danger. 


SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

While  riding  with  his  wife  to  an  appointment,  several  * 
young  men  tried  to  run  over  them  while  they  were  rid- 
ing close  to  a  precipice ;  but  when  they  caught  hold  of 
the  horse's  bridle,  it  broke,  and  the  horses  of  the  men 
were  suddenly  frightened  and  ran  away  with  them. 
They  were  pursued  and  one  of  them  arrested  ;  but  soon 
released  without  a  hearing.  The  reason  of  this  mad  at- 
tempt seemed  to  be :  the  Lord  had  converted  a  Roman 
family.  Every  member  of  the  household  had  been 
soundly  converted,  and  all  bore  faithful  testimony  to 
the  saving  power  of  God.  Formerly  this  family  served 
so  faithfully  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  that  they  had 
gotten  quite  a  reputation,  and  of  course  the  devil  would 
not  be  quiet  about  it;  but  it  was  done  — the  great 
transaction  was  done  —  although  Satan  raged,  and  Bro. 
II.  was  willing  to  suffer. 

I  received  no  news  as  yet  from  Valparaiso,  and  here 
there  was  no  abiding  place  for  me.  The  new  preacher 
from  Germany  was  soon  expected  to  arrive.  The  time 
spent  here  has  been  rich  in  experience,  and  several  per- 
sons have  found  the  Saviour. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MY  CALL  TO  VALPAKAISO.  —  LEAVING  THE  COLONIES. 

I  CONCLUDED  to  go  up  to  Valparaiso  without  awaiting 
an  answer.  I  prayed  and  fasted  about  the  matter,  and 
it  appeared  clear  that  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  I 
should  go.  The  witness  was  given  me  so  clearly,  that 
not  a  thought  of  a  doubt  was  admitted.  Once  more  I 
visited  the  Lake,  and  with  Bro.  Hoffman  was  privileged 
to  preach  several  times  to  the  people  there.  I  found  the 
Lord  had  wonderfully  blessed  Bro.  Hoffman,  and  I  heard 
many  precious  testimonies  from  the  young  people.  I 
met  that  family  which  had  so  recently  been  converted 
to  God.  They  were  truly  all  the  Lord's,  and  sound  in 
their  testimony.  The  persecutions  had  intensified,  and 
in  the  midst  of  all,  these  tender  plants  grew  beautifully, 
to  the  glory  of  the  wonderful  Jesus.  I  soon  returned 
to  Osorno,  and  leaving  my  dear  wife  with  her  parents, 
started  for  Valparaiso. 

On  Christmas  day,  at  noon,  I  arrived  in  Valparaiso. 
There  I  met  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jeffrey,  who  was  preaching 
to  the  seamen.  He  was  not  very  well,  and  he  invited 
me  to  preach  for  him  on  the  following  Sabbath  on  board 
the  bark  La  Querida.  This  was  my  first  sermon  to  sea- 

157 


158  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

men,  and  the  Lord  put  His  seal  to  the  word,  and  bless- 
ed us  all.  I  began  to  love  the  seamen  from  the  first 
day  that  I  spent  with  them.  In  the  afternoon  I  visited 
six  ships,  and  gathered  the  men  in  the  forecastle  for  the 
occasion,  and  there  spoke  to  them.  Singing  and  prayer 
followed.  These  dear  sailors  enjoyed  the  meetings  very 
much,  and  when  I  asked  them  about  their  souls'  welfare, 
they  manifested  a  desire  to  seek  the  Lord,  and  asked 
me  to  come  back. 

On  Sunday,  the  fourth  of  January,  I  gathered  a  Ger- 
man congregation,  and  preached  to  them  from  Matt. 
xxii.  42.  On  the  twenty-second  of  January,  our  An- 
nual Conference  was  held  at  Santiago,  and  I  proceeded 
thither  to  meet  the  workers  who  had  come  to  the  West 
Coast  of  South  America  under  William  Taylor.  There 
were  present :  Prof.  Wright  and  Miss  Lelia  Waterhouse, 
of  Concepcion ;  L.  C.  Smith  and  Miss  Vassbinder,  of 
Copiapo ;  Mr.  La  Fetra,  Santiago  ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Collyer,  and  von  Barchwitz-Krauser,  all  of 
Valparaiso.  Mr.  Collyer  had  been  worlang  at  Iquique, 
but  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru  had  broken  out,  and 
he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  field.  (He  filled  the  pul- 
pit of  Dr.  Trumbull  while  this  gentleman  was  visiting 
the  United  States.)  There  were  others  on  the  coast, 
who  had  not  been  able  to  come  —  the  distance  being  so 
great. 

We  received  news  that  Prof.  Humphrey  and  wife, 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  159 

would  shortly  be  compelled  to  leave  Tacna,  Peru,  on 
account  of  the  war,  and  also  that  Mr.  Magnus  Smith, 
of  Mollendo,  Peru,  had  died,  and  Mrs.  Smith  had  return- 
ed to  the  States.  Bro.  Birdsall  had  passed  away  some 
time  ago,  at  Aspinwall.  So  ten  workers  met  at  this, 
our  first  Conference.  All  had  passed  through  the  fire 
but  our  spirits  were  bright,  and  the  prospects  encourag 
ing  for  those  who  had  set  their  heart  to  work  faith 
fully.  The  school-work  was  chiefly  among  the  natives 
It  was  now  decided  that  Mr.  Jeffrey,  of  Valparaiso, 
should  be  transferred  to  Concepcion,  to  enter  school- 
work,  as  his  health  had  failed  in  Valparaiso,  and  his  ser- 
vices were  required  at  the  school  at  Concepcion.  I  had 
already  labored  a  few  weeks  in  Valparaiso,  and  to  my 
great  joy,  I  had  found  that  much  work  was  to  be  done ; 
but  with  the  seamen  on  shore  I  had  met  with  stout  re- 
sistance, on  the  part  of  those  who  kept  those  dens  of 
vice  which  characterize  the  seaports  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  I  did  not  see  my  way  clear  how  to  approach 
them  and  do  an  effectual  work.  The  work  was  com- 
pletely new  to  me,  and  although  I  experienced  no  fear 
whatever,  yet  I  felt  a  lack  of  proper  understanding  as 
to  how  such  a  work  might  be  carried  on,  and  I  also  con- 
founded this  with  a  sense  of  unfitness  for  that  peculiar 
work ;  for  I  seemed  to  see  clearly  what  was  necessary, 
in  one  sense,  and  yet  there  was  a  cloud.  I  told  the 
brethren  about  my  convictions,  and  they  decided  to 


160  SIX   YEAES   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

send  Bro.  Jeffrey  down  to  Valparaiso,  and  ask  the 
committee  of  the  Seamen's  Society  as  to  my  fitness, 
and  bring  up  the  report.  The  report  came,  and  was 
about  as  follows:  "We  want  Bro.  K.  for  the  seamen's 
work,  and  think  he  is  the  man ;  only  —  he  preaches  too 
much  holiness."  The  old  sore  of  the  church. 

GOOD  COMMON  SENSE. 

But  Bro.  LaFetra  said:  "Probably  that  is  the  reason 
why  he  is  the  man,  and  why  success  has  marked  his  la- 
bors among  the  seamen  already."  All,  with  one  voice, 
said  then  :  "  Go  on,  Bro.  Krauser,  — preach  as  the  Lord 
shall  lead  you.  Amen.  Praise  the  Lord !  "  Then 
three  beside  me  went  to  an  upper  room,  and  there 
prayed  to  God  to  lead  and  bless  me  in  the  work,  and 
show  me  what  to  do  to  strike  the  proper  blow,  and  do  a 
God-glorifying  work  among  the  seamen  on  shore  and  in 
the  bay. 

While  thus  praying  with  my  dear  brethren,  the  light 
came,  and  I  could  see  what  the  Lord  wanted  me  to  do. 
It  was  clear  to  me  that  the  very  strongholds  of  Satan 
must  be  assailed,  and  undermined  by  prayer,  until  they 
should  fall  and  crumble  to  dust.  I  arose  and  said  with 
a  loud  voice :  "  Here,  Lord,  am  I :  send  me,"  and  then 
a  baptism  fell  on  me,  such  as  I  had  not  experienced  be- 
fore, and  it  abode  with  me. 

When  I  came  clown  and  joined  the  other  brethren,  I 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  1G1 

walked  to  and  fro  in  the  room,  weeping  and  laughing, 
a. id  clapping  my  hands.  I  felt  the  Lord  would  do  a 
work  in  Valparaiso,  and  He  had  just  given  me  the 
strength  to  do  it  in  His  name.  I  received  there  a  spe- 
cial baptism  for  a  special  work. 

The  day  drew  nigh  when  we  all  should  separate,  each 
one  to  his  field  of  labor.  It  had  done  us  good  to  be 
thus  permitted  to  meet  and  commune  with  each  other ; 
and,  much  strengthened,  we  parted,  to  enter  ugon  our 
work  for  the  Master. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  RICH  MINE  DISCOVERED. —GOING  TO  WORK. 

MY  first  work  was  —  true  to  my  conviction  —  to  go 
to  one  of  the  saloon-keepers,  who  kept  one  of  the  worst 
dens  in  the  place,  —  he  was  a  German,  himself  a  hard 
drinker,  and  also  a  drunkard-maker,  —  and  ask  him  to 
permit  me  to  visit  his  saloon  every  Sunday  afternoon, 
and  hold  a  prayer-meeting  with  the  men  whom  I  would 
find  in  the  place.  The  Lord  was  with  me  when  I  en- 
tered the  house,  and  then  the  moment  came  when  I  put 
the  question  fairly  before  him.  The  man  looked  at  me 
first  as  though  he  thought  I  was  joking ;  but  when  I  re- 
peated the  question,  he  could  be  110  longer  in  doubt 
that  I  meant  business,  and  then  replied :  "  Well,  Mr. 
Krauser,  I  believe  you  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about."  Then  I  began  to  plead  with  the  man  as  my 
soul  would  plead  for  the  soul  of  a  poor  lost  sinner  at 
the  throne  of  grace.  I  asked  the  man  whether  he  had 
never  taken  pity  on  those  young  men,  or  felt  for  them, 
when  at  his  bar  they  would  spend  their- last  hard-earned 
dollar,  and  then  he  would  see  them  stagger  out  on  the 
street,  mad  with  drink ;  and  how,  in  many  cases,  he  had 
to  throw  them  out  by  force ;  and  whether  he  had  ever 
162 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  1C3 

thought  that  so  many  sailor-boys  had  dear  praying 
mothers,  wives,  and  children,  at  home  ?  He  replied  to 
all  this :  "  Oh,  well,  business  is  business.  I  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  all  that ;  but  for  you  to  come  here  and 
hold  meetings,  I  don't  see  that  you  will  accomplish 
much,  except  to  ruin  my  business."  My  heart  went 
out  after  the  dear  seamen,  and  with  tears  I  begged  the 
man  to  give  me  a  chance  in  his  house,  to  pray  with  the 
men,  and  to  permit  me  to  go  in  and  out  as  I  liked.  He 
could  not  resist  now,  any  more  ;  but  turning  half  aside, 
said :  "  Well,  all  right ;  come  on." 

Oh,  how  my  soul  was  filled  with  thafTksgiving  toward 
God  !  The  words  of  the  man  seemed  like  music  to  the 
ear.  I  thanked  him  heartily,  and  told  him  that  I  ex- 
pected God  would  bless  him,  too. 

My  next  business  was  to  get  another  place  like  it  in 

some  other  street.     I  felt  that  the  banner  must  be  rais- 

• 

ed  right  in  the  lion's  den,  and  God  gave  me  grace  to  go 
and  conquer.  I  soon  found  the  place  I  wanted  —  a 
large  boarding-house  —  kept  by  a  Swede,  who  probably 
did  the  best  business  in  the  line  of  dealing  out  death  to 
poor  sailors.  He  kept  several  "  runners  "  to  decoy  sail- 
ors on  shore  and  strip  them  of  everything  they  possess- 
ed, and  then  throw  them  on  the  "  beach."  This  sort  of 
men  are  best  known  among  sailors  as  "land-sharks." 

I  called  for  the  proprietor,  who  received  me  kindly, 
but  when  I  told  him  my  errand,  he  began  to  give  me  a 


164  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

lecture  to  this  effect,  that  it  was  no  use  to  try  to  do  any- 
thing for  sailors ;  Jack  would  always  be  a  "  bad  egg," 
and  the  best  thing  I  could  do  for  them  would  be  to  let 
them  alone.  A  fine  lecture  for  the  devil's  pocket  —  it 
did  all  honor  to  the  trade ;  but  I  was  not  inclined  to 
give  it  up  quite  so  fast.  The  man  was  a  good  talker, 
and  I  confess  I  did  not  like  him  half  so  well  as  my  oth- 
er friend  in  saloon  No.  1.  However,  he  consented  at 
last,  but  in  a  room  up  stairs  —  not  in  the  bar-room ;  yet 
I  could  visit  the  bar-room  as  often  as  I  wished;  but  if 
he  did  n't  like  it  any  longer,  I  would  have  to  give  it  up. 

1  knew  he  woulf.  not  like  it  very  long  ;  but  I  accepted 
the  arrangement. 

Thus  I  had  fixed  my  Sunday  work.  Preaching  in  the 
morning  from  10  to  11,  in  German,  on  shore.  From 
11.30,  in  the  bay,  among  the  seamen.  Afternoon  from 

2  to  3,  in  saloon  No.  1,  and  from  3  to  6,  visiting  the 
crews  on  board  ship  in  the  bay ;  and  in  the  evening, 
from  7  to  8,  in  saloon  No.  2.     Three  times  during  the 
week,  in  the  evenings,  visit   all  the  drinking-saloons, 
dancing  halls,  and  brothels,  and  twice  each  week,  in  the 
evening,  to  hold  a  prayer-meeting  in  the  bay,  on  board 
ship.     This  plan  was  made  to  be  followed  for  an  indefi- 
nite time,  so  that  changes  could  be  admitted  to  suit  the 
circumstances,  and  to  suit  the  development  of  the  work. 
Besides,  every  fortnight,  I  engaged  to  preach  at  the 
English  hospital,  and  to  drop  an  hour  out  of  my  visits 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  165 

to  the  bay,  on  those  days.  It  was  plain  enough  that  this 
was  ray  work,  and  that  less  could  not  be  done  if  I  ex- 
pected results,  and  the  Lord  would  give  me  health  and 
strength.  I  felt  this  in  every  drop  of  blood  running 
through  my  veins.  My  soul  was  filled  with  God,  and 
the  baptism  for  work  was  upon  me. 

PRAYER-MEETING  IN  A  BAR-ROOM. 

Sunday,  the  25th,  I  held  my  first  meeting  in  bar- 
room No.  1.  Being  Sunday,  there  were  a  good  many 
present.  I  went  into  the  adjoining  card-room,  and  in- 
vited all  to  attend.  This  first  meeting  was  conducted 
without  much  disturbance  on  the  part  of  those  who 
were  intoxicated.  Some  laughed  while  prayer  was  of- 
fered, but  when  we  sang  the  hymns,  there  was  silence, 
and  most  of  those  present  were  soon  engaged  in  sing- 
ing. Then  followed  an  earnest  exhortation,  and  prayer 
in  closing.  The  impression  was  profound,  and  in  the 
eyes  of  some  of  the  men  there  were  tears.  I  spoke 
with  several  about  their  souls,  and  found  that  some  had 
been  wounded  by  the  Spirit. 

In  the  afternoon  I  visited  eight  ships,  and  spoke  to 
about  sixty  men.  At  7  P.  M.,  saloon  No.  2  was  visited. 
I  first  gathered  the  men  into  the  bar-room  and  then  in- 
vited them  to  come  up  stairs.  The  proprietor  did  nut 
like  that.  He  said  he  had  to  live,  and  business  \\  as 
business.  I  turned  to  the  men  and  said :  "  You  see  tin's 


166  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

man  cares  not  for  your  welfare  —  only  for  your  money. 
It  does  not  matter  to  him  what  becomes  of  you,  if  he 
only  can  get  your  money.  Now  he  has  the  devil  help- 
ing him  in  this ;  but  you  have  God  to  help  you ;  if  you 
will  let  Him,  He  will  save  your  souls  from  sin,  and  give 
you  something  that  will  remain  with  you  forever  —  His 
Holy  Spirit.  You  here  partake  of  these  ardent  spirits. 
They  will  stay  with  you  while  you  indulge,  and  then 
influence  you  to  all  manner  of  sin  and  crime,  and  craze 
your  brain ;  while  your  wife  and  children,  and  a  poor 
mother,  long  for  a  penny  to  buy  bread,  and  your  chil- 
dren need  shoes  to  their  bare  feet."  Thus  I  spoke  in 
the  bar-room  to  them,  while  they  listened.  I  knew  the 
bar-keeper  well  enough.  Those  talkative  fellows  stand 
a  great  deal ;  and  thinking  they  are  a  great  deal  wiser 
after  all,  let  me  have  my  say  out,  and  think :  "  I  '11  put 
him  out  some  other  time."  In  the  meantime  the  Gos- 
pel is  preached.  Then  I  spoke  to  those  men  up  in  their 
rooms,  and  prayed  with  them.  We  had  a  blessed  sea- 
son this  day,  and  God  be  praised.  Amen. 

I  shall  now  follow  the  line  of  general  development  of 
the  blessed  work  that  soon  followed  in  this  city,  and  not 
report  every  meeting  in  order ;  but  select  from  my 
journal  only  such  points  as  will  be  of  interest  to  the 
reader,  and  are  calculated  to  help,  and  also  to  glorify 
God,  as  well  as  give  a  clear  idea  as  to  the  work  that  has 
been  accomplished  within  the  three  years  from  1880,  to 
February,  1884, 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  167 

The  meetings  in  the  saloons  were  wonderfully  blessed, 
but  more  or  less  persecution  arose  as  the  work  of  soul- 
saving  began  to  show.  The  third  Sabbath  in  saloon 
No.  1,  showed  that  by  this  time  the  devil  had  been 
fairly  aroused.  While  praying  with  those  who  would 
kneel  with  me,  others  would  strike  the  table  with  their 
fists,  and  pour  out  their  beer  about  me  and  curse  and 
swear  in  the  most  awful  manner  ;  but  still,  in  the  midst 
of  all  this,  some  sailor  would  shed  tears  of  repentance, 
and  in  all  the  noise  among  drunken  comrades,  plead 
with  God  and  receive  pardon  ;  and  then  some  would  go 
out  with  me,  and  help  me  in  the  work,  and  bear  testi- 
mony to  the  saving  power  of  Jesus.  Saloon-keeper  No. 
2,  now  forbade  my  coming  to  the  place  any  longer.  He 
said  it  hurt  his  business  ;  but  I  told  him  I  must  come, 
even  though  he  should  take  the  room  from  me.  He  did 
that ;  but  then  I  visited  the  bar-room  and  distributed 
tracts.  When  I  came  in  he  went  out,  and  did  not  come 
back  until  I  had  left  the  place.  The  poor  man  hated  to 
see  me,  but  had  not  the  power  to  forbid  me  his  house. 

SHOT  BEHIND  THE  COUNTER. 

In  saloon  No.  1,  a  man  —  one  of  the  runners  —  was 
shot  dead  behind  the  bar ;  but  now  the  Lord  had  taken 
hold  of  the  man  who  kept  this  terrible  place.  When 
he  came  and  begged  me  to  bury  the  man,  I  took  him 
aside  and  prayed  with  him.  I  told  him  about  the  judg- 


168  SIX  YEAES   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

ment  to  come,  and  about  the  love  of  God,  and  that 
Jesus  had  died  for  him.  I  also  told  him,  if  he  did  not 
give  up  his  house  soon,  the  Lord  would  visit  upon  him 
the  blood  of  the  many  victims  that  had  lost  body  and 
soul  in  his  place,  and  through  his  influence  for  evil. 
The  man  seemed  really  broken,  and  I  rejoiced  to  see  it. 
Oh,  that  God  might  give  that  man  grace  to  give  his 
heart  to  Jesus,  and  close  that  den  of  vice,  and  find 
something  better  to  do  to  earn  his  bread. 

A  number  of  saloon-keepers,  who  probably  had  not 
heard  the  word  of  God  from  the  pulpit  from  their  boy- 
hood, were  there,  and  the  Lord  anointed  me  for  the 
occasion.  The  bitter  past  rose  up  before  them,  and 
many  wished  for  a  moment  they  were  not  there  to  hear 
it.  But  it  was  the  solemn  truth  —  the  word  of  God 
declared  the  truth.  I  spoke  with  many  after  the  body 
had  been  deposited,  and  poor  Mr.  B.,  the  saloon-keeper, 
had  a  hard  time  to  rid  himself  of  conviction,  and  for 
the  first  time  he  promised  to  think  of  these  things  that 
he  had  heard  of  late. 

The  following  Sunday  I  had  the  great  joy  to  see  a 
sailor  on  board  an  American  ship  converted  to  God,  and 
two  others  earnestly  seeking  the  Lord.  Our  meeting 
in  saloon  No.  1,  in  the  afternoon,  was  rather  a  peculiar 
one.  While  I  was  praying,  and  several  others  of  the 
men  had  knelt  down  with  me,  the  gambling  and  drink- 
ing was  going  on  at  the  very  table  around  which  we 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  169 

bowed.  The  men  playing  did  not  feel  inclined  to  stop, 
and  one  threatened  to  make  it  hot  for  me  if  I  did  not 
leave  the  place ;  and  although  he  shook  his  fist  in  my 
face,  he  was  prevented  from  striking  me,  and  I  prayed 
on.  It  was  a  wonderful  meeting,  and  before  we  had 
finished  our  knee-work  there  was  silence  in  the  room. 
The  worst  crier  had  suddenly  left.  Truly  the  ungodly 
shall  not  be  able  to  stand  in  the  congregation  of  the 
righteous. 

The  whole  neighborhood  in  this  part  of  the  city  had 
been  wonderfully  stirred,  for  the  Lord  had  raised  up 
several  men  from  among  the  offscouring  of  society,  and 
soundly  converted  them,  and  these  helped  me  nobly  in 
the  work.  A  little  band  of  four  saved  men,  who  had 
been  picked  out  of  the  gutter,  accompanied  me  to  all 
the  gambling  hells  and  brothels  in  the  parts  most  fre- 
quented by  sailors  and  mechanics,  and  other  foreigners 
living  in  the  city.  A  hand-to-hand  fight  now  com- 
menced, and  Satan  was  well  stirred  up,  and  tried  to 
rally  his  host  against  me ;  but  in  every  battle  we  came 
out  more  than  conquerors. 

COLLARED  BY  A  WOMAN. 

In  my  visits  during  the  week  to  those  dens,  I  stepped 
into  one  saloon,  kept  by  a  very  tall  and  strong  native 
women.  The  place  was  crowded  by  foreigners  and  na- 
tives. I  called  in  and  sat  down  among  them,  and  began 


170  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

to  distribute  my  tracts,  when  suddenly  I  felt  some  one 
take  me  by  the  collar  from  behind,  and  very  uncere- 
moniously raised  me  to  my  feet  and  marched  me  to  the 
door,  giving  me  a  lift  which  landed  me  across  the  pave- 
ment on  the  street.  The  good  woman  of  the  house  had 
managed  to  do  all  that  in  a  very  short  time  ;  but  I  was 
not  to  be  baffled  like  that,  and  a  second  time  I  came  to 
the  door,  but  the  woman,  in  great  anger,  met  me  again, 
and  told  me  if  I  stepped  across  the  threshold  she  would 
strike  me  in  the  face.  I  then  drew  out  some  Spanish 
tracts,  and  handing  them  to  her,  said  that  they  con- 
tained the  story  of  Jesus,  and  the  word  of  life.  She 
pushed  the  hand  that  offered  the  tracts  aside,  and  push- 
ing me  back — for  I  had  advanced  while  talking  towards 
the  interior  of  the  room — she  again  threatened  to 
throw  me  out  on  the  street.  Then  I  said :  u  Well,  if 
you  throw  me  out  at  the  front  door  I  shall  come  in  at 
the  back,  for  I  must  talk  to  these  men  inside."  The 
face  of  the  woman  changed  into  a  smile.  I  never  saw 
anything  done  so  quick,  and  I  marched  in,  and  handed 
her  the  Spanish  tracts,  which  were  no  longer  refused. 
I  sat  down  with  the  men  at  the  tables,  and,  unmolested, 
I  was  permitted  to  read  my  Bible,  and  talk  to  the  men. 
They  had  hoped  first  that  I  would  be  frightened  by  the 
woman,  and  run  ;  but  soon  found  themselves  in  a  very 
tight  place,  for  on  such  occasions  the  truth,  and  only 
the  whole  truth,  was  fearlessly  proclaimed.  Their  open 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  171 

sins  and  their  secret  sins  were  laid  open  to  their  minds ; 
but  I  never  left  any  men  without  I  could  see  the  Spirit's 
work  that  was  going  on  in  their  hearts.  Before  leaving 
the  place,  I  told  the  woman  who  kept  it,  to  give  her 
heart  to  Jesus,  and  told  her  about  the  women  who  clus- 
tered about  the  cross  of  Jesus  on  the  day  of  His  cruci- 
fixion, and  tried  to  show  her  what  a  noble  stand  they 
had  taken,  and  yet  she,  lost  and  ruined  herself,  was  tak- 
ing her  stand  against  this  Christ,  and  trying  to  ruin 
others.  She  listened  most  attentively.  The  poor  wo- 
man had  probably  never  heard  anything  of  Christ  be- 
fore. She  then  told  me  I  could  come  back  whenever  I 
liked,  and  promised  never  to  throw  me  out  doors  again. 
I  said,  Amen  !  and  departed. 

That  same  evening  I  made  arrangement  for  a  nice 
large  room,  which  I  rented  for  religious  meetings,  right 
in  the  centre  of  a  great  many  saloons  and  gambling 
hells, —  beautifully  located  for  a  soul-saving  work;  and 
the  following  day  I  organized  a  "  fellowship  band,"  and 
in  the  name  of  God  we  would  go  forth  to  conquer  or 
die.  The  saloon-keepers  and  gamblers  and  brothel- 
keepers  had  united  to  "  kill  us  out,"  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, frustrate  our  designs ;  for  they  had  found 
business  was  growing  worse,  and  their  best  customers 
were  getting  converted,  and  not  only  that,  but  they  had 
lost  one  of  their  number,  who  had  just  enlisted  to  fight 
under  the  banner  of  Jesus,  and  some  three  others  hud 


172  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

to  close  up  their  saloons  for  want  of  customers ;  for  no 
foreigner  or  native  was  sure  that  he  would  not  some- 
where meet  "  that  confounded  parson,"  as  they  used  to 
say,  and  be  reproved  for  their  sins.  Yes,  praise  God ! 
the  time  had  come  when  they  felt  ashamed  to  be  seen 
about  these  places,  or  even  in  that  quarter  of  the  city, 
which  had  become  a  pest  to  the  community. 

THE  MAINTOP. 

This  part  of  the  city  was  known  to  seamen,  and  to 
all  pleasure-seeking  people,  under  the  name  of  "  The 
maintop."  For  the  last  forty  years  Satan  had  reigned 
here,  and  no  one  had  ever  dared  to  dispute  his  rights. 

Our  little  band  now  consisted  of  ten  God-fearing 
young  men.  One  of  them — my  assistant  leader  — 
used  to  be  called  by  his  former  shipmates  "  the  ship's 
devil."  He  had  been  a  drunkard,  and  steeped  head 
over  heels  in  sin  and  vice,  and  now,  just  as  -faithful, 
served  his  new-found  Master,  whom  he  now  loved  with 
all  his  heart  and  with  all  his  soul. 

How  GOD  SAVED  A  RUMSELLER. 

Another  of  the  number  had  kept  a  brothel  for  twenty- 
two  years ;  but  when  I  had  visited  his  saloon  every 
week  several  times,  and  finding  he  somehow  could  nev- 
er succeed  in  keeping  me  away,  he  concluded  to  lock  the 
door  whenever  I  should  come  near ;  but  he  could  not 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  173 

bar  out  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  so  I  prayed  now  es- 
pecially for  his  poor  soul  on  the  outside.  This  troubled 
him  so,  that  one  night  he  came  to  our  mission-room, 
close  by,  and  after  meeting  stayed  until  10  o'clock 
pleading  with  God  to  free  him  from  his  business. 
The  poor  fellow  made  a  mistake  here.  He  was  afraid 
he  would  have  no  bread  and  butter,  and  yet  he  knew 
he  would  be  eternally  lost  if  he  carried  on  his  pernicious 
trade.  I  tried  to  point  him  to  Jesus,  as  he  laid  on  the 
floor,  rolling  in  agony.  I  told  him  to  tell  Jesus  about 
his  sins,  and  first  obtain  forgiveness,  and  the  way  for 
his  daily  bread  would  open  before  him  —  God  would 
take  care  of  that.  He  could  not  see  it  yet,  and  he  went 
away  that  night  unsaved.  But  some  of  the  noble  band 
united  that  same  night  with  me  in  prayer,  and  we 
claimed  that  man's  soul  for  heaven,  and  left  him  there, 
— we  were  looking  forward  to  God  to  deliver  the  poor 
man  from  sin.  How  I  wept  with  him  !  I  think  I  nev- 
er beheld  such  a  picture  of  misery  in  all  my  life  before. 
He  had  ruined  himself,  almost,  through  drink,  and  he 
was  very  weak  in  body,  and  Satan  seemed  to  claim  him 
for  hell.  The  struggle  had  been  severe,  and  yet  'no  de- 
liverance. 

The  next  day  I  found  his  saloon  closed,  and  on  in- 
quiry could  get  no  clue  as  to  where  the  man  was.  This 
was  a  great  trial  to  me,  but  I  was  much  relieved  in 
prayer,  and  I  felt  certain  the  man  was  in  God's  hand. 


174  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

and  He  would  see  to  him.  Three  days  after,  this  man 
appeared  at  our  meeting  in  the  mission-room,  leaning  on 
a  cane,  and  looking  very  sick.  But  his  face  looked  dif- 
ferent, and  his  eyes  shone  as  he  stood  up  to  tell  us  "  his 
experience."  "  That  night,  when  I  left  you,"  he  said, 
"  I  had  not  found  peace,  but  I  had  given  up  the  cup, 
which  has,  as  it  appears,  almost  killed  me,  for  I  am  con- 
sumptive, and  do  not  expect  to  live  very  long.  During 
the  night  I  took  very  sick,  and  in  the  morning  I  was 
unable  to  open  the  saloon.  Then  I  prayed  to  God  in 
some  way  to  deliver  me,  and  rather  to  let  me  die 
than  to  let  me  go  into  my  business  again.  That  mo- 
ment I  could  give  up  everything,  including  "myself,  and 
quick  as  thought  I  felt  and  knew  my  sins  had  passed 
away.  I  do  not  know  how  long  I  prayed,  but  it  seemed 
I  could  not  stop  praising  God.  I  then  sent  for  my  fam- 
ily ;  told  my  wife  what  God  had  done  for  me,  and  that 
the  saloon  was  to  remain  closed,  and  never  to  be  opened 
again.  I  was  now  feeling  worse,  and  was  taken  home, 
and  had  to  go  to  bed.  I  thought  God  would  take  me 
away  ;  but  He  has  spared  me  to  tell  you  what  Christ  has 
done  for  me.  This  morning  I  felt  strong  enough  to 
leave  my  bed,  and  I  also  know  that  when  I  am  strong 
enough  I  shall  have  work  to  support  my  family,  for  a 
wholesale  house  in  town  offered  me  this  afternoon  a  sit- 
uation as  store-house  keeper,  and  they  will  wait  until  I 
am  strong." 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  175 

This  was  his  own  testimony,  and  what  a  meeting  fol- 
lowed now  !  Truly,  God  had  not  only  saved  that  man, 
but  also  sent  him  there  that  night  to  our  meeting. 

A  REMARKABLE  CONVERSION. 

A  young  man  whom  I  had  met  in  the  street  as  he 
was  just  going  to  step  into  a  saloon,  and  invited  him  to 
this  meeting,  was  so  convicted  of  sin,  that  he  could  not 
leave  the  room,  and  desired  that  we  should  pray  with 
him.  We  stayed  with  the  young  man  an  hour,  and  no 
light  had  come  to  his  poor  soul.  I  could  not  understand, 
and  moving  up  to  him  I  was  led  to  say,  "  My  poor 
friend,  you  must  be  keeping  back  something  from  the 
Lord,  or  else  you  would  be  saved.  Tell  me  what  it  is, 
and  God  may  help  me  to  say  something  to  you."  He 
had  a  hard  struggle,  but  drawing  me  close  up  to  him, 
he  said:  "  Mr.  Krauser,  you  do  n't  know  what  a  sinner 
I  am,  and  how  shamefully  I  have  sinned  against  God 
and  myself.  I  cannot  give  myself  to  God  and  be  a 
Christian  this  evening.  Oh,  if  I  was  well,  I  might,  but 
now  I  can't  —  I  can't !  "  I  begged  him  to  tell  me  what 
was  wrong.  "  You  must  be  cut  loose  from  the  power 
of  darkness  this  evening ;  you  cannot  trust  yourself  to 
leave  this  room  without  your  Saviour,  or  you  will  full 
deeper  than  ever."  He  then  told  me :  "  Mr.  Krauser, 
I  have  a  terrible  disease  upon  me,  and  I  will  be  com- 
pelled to  go  to  the  hospital  to-morrow.  How  can  I  ex- 


176  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

pect  that  Christ  will  receive  me  in  this  condition,  and 
what  will  those  at  the  hospital,  and  my  friends  say,  if  I 
make  a  profession  ?  They  will  laugh  at  me  and  call  me 
a  hypocrite." 

Indeed,  I  felt  that  Christ  must  manifest  Himself  in  a 
special  manner  in  this  case.  The  fact  that  this  man 
could  be  saved,  and  that  Jesus  would  never  turn  him 
away,  although  he  came  "  ruined  by  the  fall,"  was  plain 
to  me,  and  I  told  him  Jesus  only  could  and  would  save 
just  now,  if  he  was  in  earnest  about  his  soul,  and  would 
believe  Christ's  invitation  as  to  the  "  whosoever  "  and 
the  "  to-day,  if  you  will  hear  His  voice,  harden  not 
your  heart."  Christ  had  saved  a  seven-devilled  Mary ; 
Christ  would  not  forsake  him  in  the  hour  of  his  greatest 
need. 

The  young  man  rallied  himself,  and  cried  aloud : 
"  Yes,  Lord,  I  will  believe  !  " 

Oh,  that  hour  was  precious !  No  one  can  ever  forget 
the  sight  which  our  eyes  beheld,  the  moment  the  soul, 
chained  down  by  Satan  by  the  power  of  terrible  sin, 
burst  the  fetters  by  faith  in  Jesus,  and  triumphantly 
rose,  a  pardoned  man.  Tears  of  joy  burst  from  his 
eyes,  and  how  could  we  keep  from  weeping  ?  Not  an 
eye  was  dry  in  the  room,  and  truly  the  angels  rejoiced 
over  a  sinner  that  returned  to  the  Father's  house  in 
deep  penitence,  but  believing  —  taking  God  at  His 
word.  The  new-born  brother  then  told  us  that  he  had 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  177 

been  brought  up  in  the  Roman  Church,  and  that  all  his 
people  belonged  to  that  church ;  "  but,"  said  he,  "  oh 
that  they  might  find  this  same  Jesus !  They  are  all  un- 
saved." 

GOOD  FOE  A  BEGINNING. 

Now  provision  could  be  made  for  my  dear  wife  to 
come  up  to  Valparaiso.  A  friend  gave  me  the  passage 
money,  and  I  sent  it  to  Osorno,  and  we  met.  However, 
our  income  was  very  small,  and  I  had  not  been  able  to 
buy  any  furniture.  We  had  sufficient  bedding,  how- 
ever, and  so  could  make  our  bed  upon  the  bare  floor, 
and  trusted  God  in  due  season  to  give  us  a  bedstead, 
and  such  other  furniture  as  we  needed.  By  faith  we 
rented  a  house,  —  it  looked  rather  empty,  and  the  rent 
very  high,  —  but  our  hearts  were  full  of  God,  and  we 
knew  our  Heavenly  Father  was  rich,  and  with  Him  we 
rested  all  our  wants.  Means  for  our  temporal  support 
were  coming  in  freely.  The  secretary  of  the  Seaman's 
Mission  received  from  all  who  would  freely  contribute, 
and  my  German  congregation  did  all  they  could.  Some- 
times the  secretary  would  run  behind  in  the  amount, 
but  some  one  would  always  make  up  the  necessary 
sum,  and  never  lacked  we  anything.  When  God  gave 
us  a  standing,  we  could  get  some  furniture,  to  tlio 
amount  of  $  180,  and  take  our  time  to  pay  it.  We  did 
this  in  faith,  for  we  believed  God  would  send  us  the 
amount  above  our  daily  necessities;.  Wu  were  aUu  able 


178  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

to  spare  a  few  rooms  in  the  house ;  and  prayed  the  Lord 
to  send  us  two  good  young  men,  who,  in  a  few  days 
after  rented  the  rooms,  and  thus  furnished  us  the  means 
to  help  paying  a  rent  of  $55  per  month. 

NATIVE  WOKK. 

My  wife  then  concluded  to  accompany  me  in  my 
work.  While  I  visited  the  men  in  the  "  maintop,"  she 
did  the  work  among  the  females;  but  when  she  had 
obtained  permission  to  hold  her  meetings  in  a  room 
every  Sunday,  not  only  females  attended,  but  also  the 
men  crowded  the  place.  These  meetings  were  purely 
among  the  natives,  and  in  the  Spanish  language.  God 
wonderfully  blessed  the  natives  of  that  locality.  The 
women  would  bring  pieces  of  carpet,  which  they  used 
to  kneel  on  when  in  their  Roman  temples  they  bowed 
before  an  image,  or  at  the  confessional  chair ;  and 
eagerly  desired  that  the  preacher  should  stand  or  kneel 
on  the  rugs.  It  showed  a  good  spirit,  and  the  hunger 
and  thirst  after  the  word  of  God  increased,  and  some 
were  led  into  the  light,  and  spoke  openly  in  the  meet- 
ings. One  evening,  five  saloon-keepers  attended  our 
meeting  at  the  room,  having  come  to  disturb  the  assem- 
bly. They  kept  up  the  noise  while  I  was  preaching, 
but  I  suddenly  stopped  and  said :  "  Now,  friends,  I  will 
show  you  that  I  can  make  a  greater  noise  than  you  can, 
•  — just  let  me  have  a  chance  and  see."  I  got  their  at- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  179 

tention  completely,  and  God  blessed  me  in  a  message 
directly  addressed  to  these  five  men,  and  at  the  close  I 
asked  all  to  get  on  their  knees  and  pray  to  God.  The 
members  of  the  band  present  understood  the  work,  and 
while  I  prayed,  dispersed  among  those  assembled,  and 
began  their  "  asking  the  question,"  and  praying  with 
those  five  saloon-keepers.  Everybody  was  on  their 
knees,  and  one  of  the  saloon-keepers  cried  like  a  child. 
He  said  he  didn't  know  what  had  happened  to  him. 

A  NATIVE  CONVERTED. 

One  native,  who  spoke  a  little  English,  had  come  in, 
and  began  in  a  stammering  tongue  and  in  broken  lan- 
guage to  pray  to  God  for  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins ; 
and  soon  there  was  such  a  noise  of  voices  in  the  room, 
that  with  a  hearty  amen,  I  closed  my  prayer,  arose,  and 
closed  the  door  that  led  out  on  the  street,  and  helped  to 
work  among  the  seekers,  for  there  were  about  eight  cry- 
ing for  mercy.  When  I  went  to  close  the  door,  a 
Church  of  England  minister,  who  had  desired  to  see 
something  of  the  work,  and  had  attended  that  very 
meeting,  rose  and  said:  "Well,  Bro.  Krauser,  let  me 
out  first.  God  is  with  you,  and  I  think  you  can  carry 
the  meeting  to  a  close.  I'll  go  home."  When  he  had 
left,  I  could  not  repress  the  thought  arising :  The  good 
brother  thought  he  got  into  a  hot  place.  Certainly  In- 
thought  the  meeting  got  quite  "out  of  order";  and 


180  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

meeting  him  afterward,  he  murmured  something  about 
"  order,"  "  noise,"  "  excitement,"  and  those  usual  com- 
plaints of  the  "  orderly  "  class ;  but  he  was  a  good  man 
\  and  rejoiced  when  he  heard  that  the  Lord  that  night 
had  saved  five  precious  souls  !  He  only  said  :  "  Well, 
now,  five  souls  !  You'd  better  be  careful."  Now,  these 
good  ministerial  brethren  let  me  work,  but  stayed  away, 
but  then  I  think  they  had  plenty  of  work  to  do.  They 
sympathized  truly,  and  helped  to  raise  money  to  carry 
on  the  work. 

THE  PRIESTS  AFTER  ME. 

But  now  the  old  enemy,  Satan,  sent  a  priest  to  trouble 
us.  The  house  where  we  rented  our  room,  belonged  to 
one  of  his  lambs,  and  we  were  told  to  leave  at  once. 
There  was  no  use  to  say  a  word  against  it.  We  must 
leave  immediately,  for  the  priest,  Mr. ,  had  threat- 
ened that  he  would  not  receive  her  confession,  and  would 
not  grant  her  absolution ;  and  the  poor  woman,  the  own- 
er of  the  house,  was  frightened  so  much  that  she  dare 
not  permit  us  to  stay  any  longer.  The  Lord  had  a  bet- 
ter plan  for  us,  only  we  did  not  know  it  at  that  time ; 
so  we  thought  it  a  hard  trial,  on  account  of  the  souls 
that  were  daily  being  ensnared  by  Satan.  But  who 
could  be  more  concerned  than  the  Lord  Himself?  and 
we  prayed  to  the  Lord  for  a  better  place. 

The  preparations  for  removal  were  commenced  the 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  181 

following  day.  Some  of  "  the  boys  "  were  to  help  me 
take  away  the  benches,  tables,  lamps  and  books ;  and 
walking  up  the  street  toward  the  house,  we  saw,  a  little 
farther  ahead,  a  woman  who  had  kept  a  house  of  ill- 
fame,  of  the  lowest  order,  vacating  her  place  —  moving 
her  trunks  out.  I  went  up  to  see  what  was  going  on. 
Seeing  me  stand  there,  she  came  up  and  said :  "  I  have 
concluded  to  give  up  the  business,  and  think  it 's  time 
to  think  of  something  better.  I  '11  try  to  take  in  wash- 
ing, and  earn  a  living  that  way."  I  took  her  by  the 
hand  and  said :  "  God  bless  you,  and  help  you  to  be- 
come a  Christian  woman  !  "  She  said  that  she  would 
try.  I  had  often  prayed  in  that  house  with  the  inmates, 
and  taken  out  many  young  men  and  brought  them  over 
to  the  mission-room,  and  some  had  been  converted  to 
God.  But  this  woman  was  very  talkative,  and  I  could 
have  no  confidence  in  anything  she  said  or  promised. 
At  times  she  would  even  speak  as  though  she  was  a 
Christian,  and  a  very  good  woman.  I  considered  her 
quite  a  dangerous  person,  and  remarkably  gifted  to  al- 
lure young  men  to  her  den  of  infamy ;  and  I  really  be- 
lieve it  was  no  sincerity  that  led  her  to  give  up  the 
house,  but  rather  the  "  hard  times,"  as  some  called  the 
slack  in  business  since  the  "missionary"  had  come 
around.  She  gave  me  the  address  of  the  owner  of  the 
house,  and  running  back  to  my  boys,  I  told  them  to 
stop  moving  and  wait  till  I  would  return,  and  that  1  had 


182  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR. 

found  the  "  better  place,"  and  that  I  was  on  my  way  to 
rent  a  large  front  room,  leading  directly  to  the  street, 
in  the  house  formerly  occupied  by  Mrs. . 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN  THE  HOT-BED  OF  VICE  AND  CRIME. 

IN  an  hour  the  arrangements  were  completed,  and  our 
furniture  removed  to  the  new  room.  Things  looked 
rather  dirty  inside,  and  four  of  us  set  immediately  to 
work,  and  before  swiping  up,  each  member  of  the 
band  contributed  a  little  money,  and  sufficient  paper 
was  bought  to  nicely  paper  the  room.  I  got  an  apron, 
cut  the  paper,  and  while  one  of  the  brethren  swept  the 
walls,  another  pasted  the  paper,  and  I  tried  my  hand  at 
paper-hanging,  in  which  I  succeeded  admirably.  Then 
we  all  set  to  scrubbing  the  floor,  and  soon  the  place 
looked  clean  and  smelled  sweet.  "  Bless  the  Lord ! " 
we  all  said,  when  we  had  finished  our  task.  Never  did 
work  seem  so  sweet  before.  Then  a  brother  in  the  gas- 
fitting  business  came,  when  he  heard  we  had  got  a  large 
new  room,  and  presented  us  with  a  gas-meter,  pipes,  and 
two  chandeliers,  to  throw  light  on  the  subject ;  and  in 
three  days  afterward  we  dedicated  and  opened  our  room. 
In  the  meantime  I  visited  the  saloons  and  the  shipping, 
and  held  prayer-meetings  there  ;  and  wherever  I  found 
an  audience  I  preached  to  them.  Only  one  of  the  five 
rum-sellers  who  a  few  days  ago  attended  the  meeting  at 

183 


184  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

the  old  place,  was  brought  to  God  that  night ;  and  an- 
other promised  to  give  up  his  dancing-house.  How- 
ever, a  week  after  that,  I  found  him  still  engaged  in  the 
same  business,  and  I  waited  for  the  usual  dancing  even- 
ing, on  Thursday,  when  I  expected  to  have  an  opportu- 
nity to  speak  to  such  people.  The  dancing-room  Avas 
crowded.  Natives  and  foreigners  were  present  —  me- 
chanics and  seamen. 

DANCING-HOUSE  PROPRIETOR  IN  CLOSE  QUARTERS. 

When  I  came  in  the  rum-seller  tried  to  avoid  me  ;  but 
I  walked  right  up  to  him,  and  asked  his  permission  to 

read,  sing,  and  pray  with  the  crowd.     He  looked  desper- 

* 

ate,  and  said :  "  Oh,  please  let  us  alone,  here  !  this  is 
no  place  for  meeting  now,  and  if  you  attempt  to  disturb 
the  dance,  you  '11  get  killed  here  to-night."  The  crowd 
looked  to  be  a  rather  wild  sort.  There  were  many  in- 
toxicated seamen,  behaving  themselves  more  like  brutes 
than  human  beings.  The  rum-seller  himself  thought 
he  had  a  rough  set  there  that  night,  and  he  called  my 
attention  to  the  fact.  "  Now,  you  know  very  well  I 
do  n't  mind  that,"  I  said,  "  and  if  you  just  consent,  it 
will  be  all  right.  Do  n't  you  pity  these  poor  fellows  ?  " 
I  went  on  to  say,  "  and  have  n't  you  done  harm  enough 
in  this  place  ?  How  can  you  dare  turn  me  away  like 
that  ?  I  've  got  more  right  here  than  you,  and  more 
right  than  the  devil  who  damns  these  souls  to  hell. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  185 

God  wants  to  save  these  harlots,  gamblers,  blasphemers, 
and  drunkards ;  yes,  God  wants  to  save  you,  too.  Are 
you  not  ashamed  to  send  me  away  ?  Now  come,  my 
good  friend,  let  me  shake  your  strong  hand ;  just  see 
these  hard  hands !  Ah,  yes,  you  used  to  work  once  with 
these  strong  hands,  and  in  the  sweat  of  your  brow,  and 
bread  tasted  sweet,  then ;  but  oh,  to-day  it  is  so  very- 
different,  and  so  much  different  now  from  the  days 
when  you  were  quite  a  little  boy,  and  your  dear  mother 
used  to  take  you  up  on  her  lap,  and  folded  your  little 
hands.  They  were  clean,  then,  and  innocent,  and  she 
taught  you  to  pray  '  Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven.'  " 
I  looked  at  him,  and  tried  to  catch  his  eye.  The  poor 
fellow  was  quite  broken  up,  now,  and  he  gently  said  : 
"  Go  on,  Mr.  Krauser,  I  know  you  are  right ;  I  can  't  re- 
fuse you." 

Thankful  to  my  Redeemer,  and  my  soul  filled  with 
wondrous  love,  I  turned  toward  the  assembly,  and  be- 
gan singing  a  hymn.  They  instantly  stopped  the  music 
and  the  dancing,  and  the  deafening  noise  ceased  to  be. 
For  a  few  moments  they  were  awe-struck,  and  stood 
staring  at  me ;  but  then  a  drunken  sailor  broke  the  si- 
lence, and  breaking  out  in  curses,  advanced  toward  me 
and  caught  my  arm,  and  like  a  rag  he  began  whirling 
me  round  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  then,  with  an 
oath,  he  let  me  go  suddenly,  and  I  shot  across  the  hall 
into  the  next  corner,  and  landed  squarely  on  a  chair. 


186  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

Everybody  was  in  an  uproar  of  laughter,  and  they 
thought  it  was  great  fun,  and  now  they  watched  me  to 
see  what  I  would  do  next.  But  I  did  not  stir.  I  felt 
as  sweet  as  ever,  and  remaining  right  where  I  was,  com- 
fortably seated  on  a  chair,  and  finishing  the  hymn,  I 
opened  the  Bible,  which  had  not  fallen  from  my  grasp 
in  the  rather  unsought-for  exercise,  and  was  about  to  be- 
gin to  read.  Again  there  was  a  few  seconds  of  silence ; 
but  now  my  friend  got  fairly  mad,  and,  coming  toward 
me  to  get  hold  of  me  once  more,  he  was  confronted  by 
another  seaman,  who  placed  himself  at  that  instant  be- 
tween me  and  the  assailant.  Clinching  his  big  fist,  he 
shouted :  "  "Who  dares  touch  this  man,  has  to  come  this 
way  first !  Do  n't  you  know  he  is  a  minister  ?  Now 
dare,  if  you  will !  I  do  n't  think  it  will  do  us  any  harm 
to  listen  to  what  he  will  say."  I  arose  now  and  said 
to  the  two  men  before  me :  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  are 
both  so  courageous,  and  I  'm  sure  you  won't  be  afraid  if 
I  now  tell  you  what  God  says  about  poor  sinners  in  this 
book,  and  how  he  loves  them.  Just  sit  down,  all  of 
you,  and  then  I  '11  go  on."  Everybody  obeyed,  and  a 
pin  might  be  heard  to  fall  on  the  floor. 

How  TO  MANAGE. 

"  Now,  let's  have  a  good  hymn.  I  know  sailor-boys 
like  to  sing.  Let's  have  a  sailor's  hymn  —  old  Sankey's 
hymn  —  'Pull  for  the  shore,  sailor,  pull  for  the  shore! ' 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  187 

The  whole  crowd  joined  in,  and  the  voices  were  strong 
and  clear.  Then  I  told  them  of  Jesus  and  Ills  love, 
and  I  told  them  of  a  young  man  who  used  to  visit  .here, 
and  whom  some  of  them  knew,  and  said  :  "  Now,  you 
don't  know  what  has  become  of  poor  Wickliff.  I'll  tell 
you.  I  met  him  at  the  hospital  the  other  day,  and  now 
he's  dead.  I  watched  him  pass  over  the  river ;  but  he 
didn't  talk  any  more  as  he  used  to.  You  know  he  often 
attended  our  meetings  down  in  the  room,  and  he  would 
n't  give  up  his  sins ;  he  didn't  want  to  give  you  up,  and 
he  kept  on  sticking  to  you,  and  got  drunk  with  you 
nearly  every  night,  until  you  saw  him  walk  about  like 
a  shadow,  dirty  and  sick,  and  you  deserted  him,  and 
tried  to  forget  him.  But  Wickliff  told  me  his  story  be- 
fore he  died.  He  raised  himself  up  in  his  bed  and  told 
me  to  come  up  closer.  He  said :  '  Mr.  Krauser,  I  am 
going  to  die,  and  I  am  only  twenty-two  years  old.'  He 
hid  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  then  wept  bitterly.  What 
do  you  suppose  the  poor  boy  remembered  ?  I  think  his 
lost  young  life  rose  up  before  him.  He  then  bent  over 
to  me  and  whispered,  *  My  mother  ! '  Ah,  that  was  it. 
'  My  mother ! '  he  repeated,  and  then  tears  choked  his 
voice.  My  boys,  do  you  remember  a  mother  to-night? 
I  wonder  whether  Wickliff's  mother  ever  prayed  with 
him.  That  was  just  what  was  the  matter.  He  went  on, 
then,  and  said :  '  My  mother  used  to  pray  for  me.  I 
could  not  stand  it,  and  I  ran  away.  But  I  wrote  her  I 


188  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

would  send  her  money,  for  I  knew  she  depended  on  me 
for  a  living.  I  never  sent  her  any,  I  spent  it  all  in 
drink,  and  now  I'm  here  dying.  I  have  killed  myself.' 
He  hid  his  face  again  and  cried.  I  told  Wickliff  about 
Jesus,  and  I  saw  how  he  stretched  out  his  feeble  hands, 
and  cried  :  '  O  Jesus,  save  me,  a  poor  sinner  I  don't  let 
me  die  and  be  lost ! '  God  answered  his  prayer  before 
he  passed  a\vay,  and  he  said,  when  he  could  scarcely 
whisper,  '  Jesus,  blessed  Jesus !  Yes,  Jesus  saves  me 
now ! '  Only  one  bitter  thought  rose  up  once  more. 
He  said  :  '  Only  twenty-two  years  —  all  lost ! '  Then 
he  passed  over.  God  has  taken  him  ;  you  will  never 
see  him  more,  unless  you  prepare  for  heaven.  God  save 
you  all ;  let  us  pray,  and  get  down  on  our  knees,  and 
you  cry  out  to  God  to  have  mercy  on  you,  miserable  sin- 
ners. You  will  die  in  your  sins  if  you  don't." 

There  were  no  dry  eyes  in  that  strange  assembly,  and 
while  I  prayed,  many  sighs  and  groans  were  heard,  and 
then  many  came  down  to  the  meeting-room  with  me 
when  I  quitted  the  place,  and  some  there  found  the 
Saviour. 

Two  days  after  this  meeting,  the  dancing-house  was 
no  more ;  and  visiting  the  boiler-works  soon  after,  and 
while  among  the  workmen  distributing  tracts,  whom 
should  I  find  but  my  tall  American,  who  kept  that 
dancing-house.  I  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  looking 
straight  at  him,  asked :  "  And  how  tastes  the  bread 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  .       180 

now?"  "Oh,  much  sweeter,  really,  I  assure  you." 
"Have  you  given  your  heart  to  Jesus?"  "No,  but  I 
hope  to  find  Him  yet." 

ATTEMPT  TO  CUT  His  THROAT. 

At  our  meeting  one  evening,  a  man  came  and  said : 
"  I  have  been  a  drunkard  for  eight  years,  and  have  had 
the  delirium  tremeus  thrice.  Last  Sunday  I  was  ar- 
rested at  the  moment  when  I  had  placed  the  razor  to 
my  throat,  to  cut  it  from  ear  to  ear.  I  have  just  been 
released  again,  and  I  heard  the  singing  in  this  place, 
and  now  my  mind  is  quite  made  up,  not  to  leave  it 
again  until  I  am  saved,"  and  bursting  out  in  tears,  he 
added  :  "  for  I  cannot  trust  myself  a  moment  alone.  I 
might  do  the  same  thing  again ;  and  while  now  I  am 
speaking  to  you  this  horrible  appetite  for  strong  drink 
is  coming  upon  me  again.  O  Lord,  save  me !  O  Lord, 
save  me  now  !  " 

When  he  thus  cried,  the  unhappy  man  fell  on  his 
face  and  prayed  God  in  pitiful  tones  to  save  him,  right 
now.  We  all  prayed  with  him,  and  I  saw  the  dear  man 
rising  to  his  feet,  full  of  hope  and  fear,  and  proclaiming 
the  Lord  to  be  his  Saviour.  He  became  a  member  of 
our  little  band. 

There  was  the  old  man  Watson  :  he  kept  a  wretched 
haunt  for  thieves  and  gamblers.  I  visited  him  one 
evening,  but  when  I  stepped  in  at  the  front  door  every- 


190  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

body  disappeared  into  the  back  part  of  the  house. 
Watson  knew  me,  and  often  tried  to  baffle  my  attempts 
to  pray  at  his  house  ;  but  at  last  gave  it  up  and  tried 
another  game.  He  turned  friendly,  and  even  came  to 
the  meetings ;  but  when  I  came  to  his  house  he  man- 
aged to  hide  the  occupants,  and  only  three  or  four  men 
would  remain  in  the  room ;  but  he  would  take  down 
the  lamp  from  the  dirty  wall,  and  hold  it  while  I  read 
to  the  men,  and  then  would  run  to  the  front  door  and 
shut  it  during  prayer.  Now,  I  could  soon  see  through 
it  all.  Watson  thought,  "  Now  he  won't  be  so  hard  on. 
me,  and  ask  me  so  much  about  my  soul,  and  trouble  me 
to  give  up  this  business.  I'll  just  be  friendly  and  oblig- 
ing, and  even  tell  him  that  I'll  try  to  seek  the  Lord." 
But  that  night  I  had  "  slipped  up  "  on  him,  and  had 
seen  the  men  disappear.  I  just  took  the  old  man  aside, 
and  said :  "  Now,  Watson,  it's  no  use  your  playing  the 
hypocrite  any  longer.  I  tell  you  you  are  nearer  hell  to- 
night than  you  ever  were  in  all  your  life  ;  you  are  try- 
ing a  trick  on  me,  and  the  devil  has  been  your  school- 
master. You  know  you  are  cheating  yourself,  and  no- 
body else.  Poor  fellow  !  you're  badly  off.  I  pity  you. 
I  wish  you  would  just  come  to  Jesus  to-night.  You 
know  how  the  Lord  saved  me.  I've  been  worse  than 
you,  but  Jesus  took  pity  and  saved  me  all  over.  Now, 
do  you  think  I'd  be  wasting  time  with  a  rascal  like  you, 
if  Jesus  had  n't  picked  me  up,  and  made  a  new  man  of 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  191 

me  ?  I  know  you  think  me  to  be  just  what  I  say  I  am, 
and  now  you  are  trying  to  '  smooth  me  over,'  so  that 
you  can  go  on  with  your  dirty  business.  Come,  now, 
old  man,  and  we'll  pray  together ;  but  get  me  those 
men  you're  hiding  from  me.  If  you  don't  I'll  turn  this 
house  upside  down,  and  you  know  very  well  you  have 
not  got  a  corner  in  this  house  that  I  don't  know.  I'll 
find  them,  if  you  don't." 

The  wretched  man  took  my  hand,  and  said :  "  I  know 
I  am  a  bad  man.  Yes,  I'm  a  bad  man.  I  wish  I  could 
be  better ;  but  what  can  I  do ?"  —  "Do  like  I  did,  seek 
the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Saviour  ;  confess  your  sins,  and  be- 
lieve in  His  name.  If  you  will  quit  your  hypocrisy, 
and  be  in  earnest  about  it,  you'll  find  an  earnest  Sav- 
iour, who  will  save  you  in  a  moment." 

HUNTING  SOULS. 

Then  leaving  Watson,  I  went  out  into  the  back  yard, 
and  hauled  my  audience  out  of  every  corner  and  every 
room,  striking  matches  as  I  went  on,  and  calling  on 
them  to  come  out.  "I  know  you  are  here,  and  you 
need  n't  hide."  I  told  them  :  "  I  love  every  one  of  you, 
and  want  you  to  be  as  happy  as  I  am.  Just  see  what 
cowards  the  devil  makes  of  you  !  The  light  of  a  match 
scares  you  to  death,  and  you  feel  ashamed  when  you 
think  of  it.  Now,  come,  let's  have  a  meeting."  Some- 
times, in  other  places,  they  did  the  same  thing,  and  in 


192  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

that  way  I  would  often  hunt  up  eight  or  ten  men,  and 
the  meeting  would  always  be  a  wonderful  blessing. 
Oh,  praise  the  Lord !  how  these  difficulties  and  hard- 
ships made  the  word  clear  and  blessed  to  myself  and 
them  !  I  could  now  read  human  nature,  as  I  never 
could  before.  My  faith  in  God  became  simpler,  more 
childlike,  and  peaceful.  There  was  no  power  on  earth 
nor  in  hell  that  could  stop  the  progress  of  the  Lord's 
work  in  those  dens  of  wickedness.  Though  often  in  im- 
minent danger,  God  —  the  blessed  Holy  Ghost  —  a  per- 
sonal Holy  Ghost  —  seemed  so  real  in  His  abiding  pres- 
ence, that  I  was  perfectly  conscious  of  His  walking  in 
me,  and  living  in  me.  The  supernatural  agency  ever 
present  in  protecting  me,  had  become  more  real  to  me 
than  I  can  express  with  the  words  of  faith.  But  it  seem- 
ed visible  to  my  eyes,  and  tangible  to  the  grasp  of  my 
hand.  Holding  my  Bible  seemed  to  me  as  taking  hold 
of  the  sword,  and  in  it  I  possessed  the  Holy  Ghost.  I 
shall  never  be  able  to  fathom  all  I  know  and  feel,  or  to 
express  it  in  my  poor  language ;  but  I  think  the  lan- 
guage of  heaven  will  bring  it  all  out,  and  relieve  me 
from  the  weight  that  I  feel  hanging  to  my  tongue  now, 
without  being  able  to  shake  it  off ;  and  I  believe  "  the 
mists  will  roll  away,"  that  now  cloud  my  poor  brain. 
The  twilight  of  the  resurrection  morn  will  break  into  a 
fair  and  ever-sunny  day.  No  more  u  supposing  Him  to 
be,"  we  understand  and  give  Him  all  the  glory.  Yet  it 


IN   SOUTH    AMERICA.  193 

is  but  in  part  we  know,  and  "  Who  is  Christ  ?  "  in  heav- 
en's light  appears  in  fullest  meaning.  We  will  and  shall 
be  able  to  tell  it  all  in  glory.  The  angels  cannot  tell  it, 
but  the  blood-washed  can,  quite  well.  Amen.  Praise 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  for  ever  and  ever ! 

A  TERRIBLE  DEATH. 

A  few  days  after  this  talk  with  Watson,  I  was  called 
out,  after  an  evening  meeting.  Some  men  came  up  and 
asked  me  to  go  with  them  to  Watson's  place  — some- 
thing awful  had  happened.  It  was  only  about  fifty 
yards  from  the  meeting-room,  and  I  soon  reached  the 
place.  I  found  a  great  many  people  crowded  about  the 
door,  and  looking  rather  strange.  "  What  is  the  mat- 
ter ?  "  I  inquired  of  the  men.  "  Go  in  and  see,  sir."  I 
made  my  way  through  the  crowd,  and  in  the  dark  and 
filthy-looking  room  where  he  had  often  heard  me  speak 
and  pray,  there  lay  Watson,  stretched  on  a  board  upon 
two  chairs  —  a  corpse !  He  was  dead !  I  stood  there 
for  a  few  moments,  and  could  not  say  a  word.  One  of 
the  men  then  said :  "  You  see,  Mr.  Krauser,  they'  ve  had  a 
big  time  here  to-night.  They  had  dancing,  and  Watson 
got  awfully  drunk,  and  while  he  was  dancing  and  jump- 
ing about,  he  all  of  a  sudden  fell  down.  We  thought 
he  had  only  fallen  down  because  he  was  so  drunk;  but 
when  we  went  to  help  him  up,  we  saw  that  he  was  dead.1' 
That  was  the  terrible  end  of  the  rum-seller.  I  turned 


194  SIX  YEAKS    WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

and  gave  my  message  to  the  bystanders.  The  moment 
was  an  awful  one.  There  lay  the  victim  of  rum.  Few 
men  heard  the  Gospel  as  this  man  had  heard  it !  It 
had  been  a  savor  unto  death  to  him.  I  said :  "  Be  not 
deceived.  God  is  not  mocked  —  what  a  man  soweth 
that  shall  he  also  reap.  Awful  judgment !  My  God, 
save  this  people  !  Now  you  want  me  to  bury  this  man ; 
yes,  that  is  the  way  you  do.  When'one  dies  you  send 
for  the  clergyman  to  bury  your  dead,  — that  is  the  way 
you  treat  your  loving  Saviour.  But  funeral  sermons 
won't  save  you.  You  know  how  Watson  used  to  live, 
and  you  know  how  he  died,  and  so  shall  every  one  die 
who  will  not  come  to  God.  It  will  come  upon  you  like 
a  thief  in  the  night,  in  an  hour  when  you  think  not. 
Be  ye  therefore  ready.  If  you  will  all  come  to  the  fu- 
neral, and  bring  your  friends  with  you,  I  will  bury  this 
man  and  preach  to  you  in  the  chapel  of  the  cemetery." 
When  I  had  said  this,  and  appointed  the  hour,  I  left 
them,  and  went  away  deeply  impressed  with  what  I  had 
seen  and  heard  this  night.  While  others  were  being 
saved,  this  man  sank  into  a  drunkard's  grave.  This 
case  was  similar  to  one  sometime  ago  in  a  German  fam- 
ily. Two  daughters  of  this  family  had  joined  the  Ger- 
man Methodist  Church  which  I  had  organized  in  this 
city.  The  mother,  who  was  extremely  worldly  and  very 
fond  of  dancing,  had  been  exhorted  by  her  children  to 
give  up  the  world.  This  was  on  Saturday,  and  they 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  195 

had  asked  her  to  come  with  them  to  church  to-morrow. 
But  the  mother  said  no,  she  would  never  come  to 
church,  nor  could  she  believe  in  the  existence  of  God. 
The  poor  children  were  frightened  at  what  the  mother 
said,  and  with  tears  begged  her  to  recant  what  she  had 
just  uttered ;  but  she  would  not  do  it.  Then  they  beg- 
ged her  to  give  up  a  party  which  she  was  to  attend  that 
night,  and  stay  with  the  children,  for  they  feared  to  let 
her  go  after  she  had  said  that  she  did  not  believe  in 
God.  But  she  said :  "  I  will  go,  and  if  it  is  for  the  last 
time,  I  shall  have  a  dance."  That  unhappy  mother 
was  carried  to  her  home,  a  corpse,  early  on  Sunday 
morning.  She  had  fainted,  apparently,  while  dancing. 
Friends  laid  her  on  the  sofa;  but  the  woman  never 
arose.  She  had  died  of  heart  disease,  —  not,  however, 
without  a  warning. 


CHAPTER  XL 

TIMES  OF  SPECIAL  VISITATION. 

No  wonder  people  began  to  consider  the  question  of 
salvation,  and  the  spirit  of  inquiry  at  this  time  was 
something  wonderful.  On  shore,  and  in  the  bay,  the 
soul-saving  work  was  going  on.  The  Holy  Spirit  smote 
the  hearts  of  the  people  everywhere,  and  daily  precious 
souls  were  brought  to  Jesus.  On  one  ship  in  the  bay 
—  the  Seneca — five  men  were  converted  to  God;  on 
another,  the  Stormy  Petrel,  the  entire  ship's  company, 
from  the  chief  officer  down  to  the  last  man  on  board, 
were  converted,  and  three  of  the  number  found  holi- 
ness before  the  ship  left  for  England.  On  board  a  third 
ship,  the  fire  spread,  and  one  of  the  men  tried  to  run 
away  from  God.  When  he  saw  me  coming  down  to  the 
forecastle,  he  hid  himself,  but  I  was  looking  for  him. 
I  knew  every  place  and  corner  in  the  ship,  and  I  started 
for  the  chain-locker  —  a  place  where  chains  and  ropes 
were  kept.  It  had  only  a  small  door  to  it,  just  large 
enough  for  a  man  to  crawl  through.  I  opened  it  and 
struck  a  match;  but  I  could  not  see  anything.  He 
could  not  be  anywhere  else,  as  I  had  looked  carefully 
about  me  on  the  outside.  So  I  crawled  in  on  all  fours, 
196 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  197 

shut  the  door  behind  me,  and  lighted  several  matches, 
and  crawled  into  every  nook  and  corner.  At  last  I  dis- 
covered my  man ,  —  he  had  pulled  a  lot  of  ropes  over 
his  head,  but  there  he  was.  My  matches  had  given  out, 
and  I  said :  "  Ah,  there  you  are !  just  stay  where  you 
are  —  we  '11  have  it  out  right  there."  So  I  crawled  up 
to  him  in  the  dark,  and  began  to  pray  with  him  there. 
He  was  deeply  convicted  for  sin,  and  he  knew  his  hour 
had  come  when  he  must  settle  the  question  with  God. 
I  was  glad  that  I  had  found  him,  for  I  soon  heard  him 
weep  there  in  the  dark,  and  he  finally  prayed  for  him- 
self. We  then  left  this  place  together,  and  the  young 
man  looked  like  a  new  man.  He  could  praise  God  in- 
deed, for  deliverance  from  the  power  of  darkness.  His 
soul  had  been  turned  to  the  light. 

The  funeral  service  of  Watson  was  a  wonderful  meet- 
ing. Everybody  in  the  chapel  was  on  their  knees,  and 
I  believe  this  place  had  never  witnessed  such  a  meeting 
before.  At  the  close  I  gave  them  another  invitation  to 
the  mission-room,  and  most  of  those  present  at  the  fu- 
neral promptly  responded,  and  the  evening  was  remark- 
able. 

AN  AGED  DBUNKAED  CONVERTED. 

A  man  who  had  been  a  drunkard  for  twenty  years, 
prayed  for  pardon,  and  another  whom  drink  had 
brought  to  the  verge  of  the  grave,  prayed  earnestly 
that  God  might  save  him  from  his  sins.  Both  men 


198  SIX  YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

converted  to  God.  The  one  became  a  faithful  worker 
as  a  member  of  our  band,  and  God  used  him  wonder- 
fully among  his  friends.  The  other  man  died  three 
days  afterward,  in  his  room.  The  night  previous  he 
had  been  at  the  meeting  in  the  room  where  God  con- 
verted him.  He  was  then  so  weak  that  he  could  hardly 
stand  on  his  feet,  and  with  a  trembling  voice  he  gave 
his  testimony  for  Christ,  and  said  that  God  had  kept 
him  faithful  since  the  moment  he  had  found  peace ; 
and  although  he  knew  that  when  he  gave  up  drink  it 
would  kill  him,  as  he  had  gone  too  far  already,  yet  he 
wo\ild  not  touch  a  drop  to  steady  his  nerves.  He  said 
he  knew  he  had  not  long  to  live,  but  he  desired  only 
one  thing  —  to  die  in  faith ;  and  then  he  asked  us  to 
pray  for  him.  His  speech  seemed  peculiarly  impressive, 
as  he  stood  there ;  his  long  snowy  hair,  that  trembling, 
earnest  voice,  and  his  beaming  face.  No  one  thought 
that  this  was  his  last  testimony  for  Jesus  on  earth. 
We  should  see  his  face  no  more.  He  was  found  dead 
in  his  bed  the  next  morning.  He  had  gone  to  heaven 
to  see  his  Saviour,  whom  he  had  found ;  but  alas !  so 
late. 

I  was  much  grieved  to  find  that  two  men,  who  had 
professed  conversion  some  time  ago,  had  gone  back  to 
the  world,  —  the  one  to  drink ;  but  the  other  in  a  mo- 
ment of  severe  temptation  yielded  and  stole  the  sum  of 
eighty  dollars  from  .a  Christian  brother  with  whom  he 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  109 

occupied  a  room.  Oh,  how  bitter  that  was!  I  wept 
before  the  Lord,  and  wondered  why  this  was  permitted 
to  befall  me.  I  could  tell  no  one  my  griefs,  for  who 
could  understand  me  ?  It  was  a  terrible  blow.  A  few 
days  later  I  received  a  letter  from  the  man,  telling  me 
about  his  terrible  struggle,  and  how  at  last  he  yielded. 
He  had  taken  the  money  and  spent  it  all  in  these  few 
nights,  and  then  he  closed  this  sad  letter  with  —  "  I  am 
lost."  The  brother  who  had  lost  the  money  in  this 
way,  bore  the  loss  in  wonderful  submission  to  the  Lord. 
He  had  worked  hard  for  it,  and  since  the  Lord  had  con- 
verted him  had  been  able  to  save  this  amount.  He  was 
the  same  man  who,  a  few  months  ago,  had  received  the 
Saviour  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital  the  following 
day.  He  was  now  one  of  the  noblest  workers  in  our 
fellowship  band. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  A  GOOD  TEMPLARS'  LODGE. 

My  Sunday  meetings  in  saloon  No.  1  and  No.  2,  had 
now  for  some  time  been  discontinued,  on  account  of  the 
work  increasing  in  the  mission-room ;  but  the  places 
had  been  visited  the  same  as  the  others ;  but  now  I 
made  a  call  on  Mr.  B.,  in  No.  1,  and  asked  him  to  at- 
tend a  temperance  meeting,  to  be  held  to-morrow  night. 
He  promised  to  be  there.  Invitations  were  given  to  as 
many  as  we  could  seat,  and  the  meeting  night  drew 
near.  A  good  many  persons  were  in  attendance,  espe- 


200  SIX  YEAES   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

cially  those  residing  in  the  city  —  Americans,  English, 
Swedes,  and  Germans.  After  delivering  my  lecture,  a 
table  was  brought  to  the  platform  and  an  invitation 
was  given  to  step  forward  to  sign  the  temperance 
pledge.  The  first  man  that  left  the  ranks  of  the  enemy 
was  Mr.  B.,  rum-seller  No.  1.  We  shook  hands,  and 
he  said,  honestly  :  "  I  've  enough  of  this  now  —  I  quit 
it  to-night,  God  helping  me."  He  gave  up  his  saloon, 
and  kept  only  boarders ;  but  business  was  very  dull. 
He  had  lost  many  customers,  but  he  was  not  discour- 
aged. The  following  night  I  organized  a  Lodge  of 
Good  Templars,  and  all  those  who  had  signed  the 
pledge,  and  others,  were  present.  Fifty-one  members 
were  received  into  the  order  the  first  evening,  and  soon 
we  numbered  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  principal 
point  in  the  work  had  been  gained.  These  men  were 
drawn  from  the  dens  of  vice,  and  many  had  been  con- 
verted, and  others  became  teetotalers  —  working  in  the 
cause  of  temperance.  The  result  was  that  six  of  the 
rum-sellers  had  to  close  their  saloons,  and  look  for  other 
employment. 

A  SAILORS'  HOME  CALLED  INTO  BEING. 

I  then  called  upon  some  of  my  ministerial  brethren 
and  told  them  the  time  had  come  when  something  must 
be  done  for  the  seamen  coming  to  this  port.  There 
was  no  home  for  them  here  — they  had  no  place  where 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  201 

they  were  well-treated  and  cared  for — and  I  asked 
them  to  assist  in  raising  the  necessary  funds.  Dr.  T.,  of 
Valparaiso,  who  has  been  working  here  for  the  last  forty 
years,  took  a  lively  interest  in  this  new  plan,  and  influ- 
enced some  of  the  members  of  his  church  to  give  mon- 
ey. Some  merchants  also  helped,  and  several  thousand 
dollars  were  raised  to  buy  the  necessary  furniture.  The 
house  was  soon  found,  and  rented.  It  was  an  old  hotel, 
containing  fifty-four  rooms. 

AN  Ex-RUMSELLER  BECOMES  THE  ADMINISTRATOR 
OF  THE  SAILORS'  HOME. 

Now,  the  proper  man  for  the  home  was  found  in  my 
friend  and  reformed  rumseller  No.  1.  "  God  bless 
you ! "  I  said  to  Mr.  B.,  as  I  told  him  I  wanted  him  for 
the  Sailors'  Home.  He  was  much  surprised  at  first ;  but 
joyfully  accepted.  After  the  first  three  months,  the 
house  was  self-supporting.  It  paid  the  house-rent  of 
8150  per  month,  the  salary  of  the  administrator,  the 
wages  of  all  the  servants,  and  all  the  expenses  to  run 
the  institution.  Meetings  were  established  in  the 
house  for  the  seamen,  and  I  placed  the  first  books  into 
the  library,  and  went  about  begging  books  for  the  I  Ionic 
wherever  I  could,  and  printed  the  labels  on  my  hand- 
press  to  paste  on  the  books.  And  nobly  did  the  friends 
assist  me  in  starting  this  Seamen's  Home.  The  Record, 
the  organ  of  an  English  Church  of  tliis  place,  said,  in  a 


202  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

report  some  time  after :  "  And  Rev.  Von  Barchwitz- 
Krauser  assisted  in  starting  the  Seamen's  Home." 
Now,  I  wonder  whether  the  church  members  or  the 
merchants  wanted  the  glory  of  this  work,  or  whether  it 
would  be  better  to  give  it  to  God  alone.  It  would  have 
been  better  to  say  nothing,  if  they  could  not  come  out 
squarely  and  say :  "  All  glory  be  to  God  for  our  Sailors' 
Home  ! "  How  many  persons  are  there  in  the  world 
that  are  just  proud  enough  to  give  some  money  and 
then  expect  to  be  praised  for  it,  and  think  that  it  is  all 
the  work  required  of  them.  Such  will  hot  bend  a 
ringer  to  bring  it  about ;  but  when  the  Lord  has  done 
it,  some  "  graciously  "  give,  and  say :  "  Now,  I  did  it !  " 
They  have  hired  the  Lord  to  do  it  for  them.  God  save 
us  from  all  pride  and  vain-glory,  through  the  truth ! 
The  word  of  God  is  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword, 
—  cutting,  piercing,  and  dividing  asunder  to  the  bones 
and  marrow ;  and  we  might  as  well  face  the  truth  while 
yet  on  earth,  and  stand  the  "  trimming,"  and  we  shall 
all  be  better  prepared  to  bring  forth  fruit,  and  thus 
glorify  God,  who  will  not  give  His  glory  to  another. 
When  men  do  attempt  to  get  glory  to  themselves,  they 
are  often  put  to  shame  immediately.  Proud  boasters 
become  cowards,  and  must  flee. 

I  had  visited  a  brothel,  together  with  a  brother  whom 
his  shipmates  formerly  called  the  "  ship's  devil."  We 
found  six  young  men  there,  apprentices  from  some  of 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  203 

the  sailing-vessels  in  the  harbor.  After  shaking  hands 
all  around,  I  sat  down  to  read  the  word  to  them,  and 
then  exhorted  them  to  come  to  Jesus.  One  of  the  men 
began  to  swear  at  me  and  use  profane  language.  I  only 
replied :  "  We  will  now  talk  wi:h  God,  and  pray." 
The  young  man  now  jumped  up,  and  angrily  confront- 
ing me,  said :  "  If  you  attempt  to  pray  here,  I'll  stand 
on  my  head,  sir." — "  All  right,  my  boy ;  you  stand  on 
your  head,  and  I  will  pray.  Let  us  see  who  can  hold 
out  longest."  Without  saying  more,  we  all  knelt  in 
prayer.  While  praying  there  was  great  quietness  in 
the  room,  only  once  there  was  a  rustling  behind  me,  and 
some  one  opening  a  door,  and  closing  it  with  a  bang. 
God  had  blessed  us  in  praying,  and  I  called  also  on  the 
brother  to  pray,  who  did  so.  When  we  arose,  I  turned 
about,  and  said :  "  Where  is  the  man  that  would  stand 
on  his  head?  " — "  He  ran  away, sir,  when  you  had  knelt 
down  to  pray."  Ah,  yes,  poor  fellows,  cannot  bear  the 
presence  of  God  when  brought  in  contact  with  Him  in 
the  house  of  prayer.  Their  glorying  in  their  own 
strength,  and  vain  boasting,  is  put  to  shame. 

OPINIONS  OF  SOME  SHIP-MASTERS. 

Some  five  masters  of  ships  told  me  one  day  :  "  Now, 
Mr.  Krauser,  it  is  no  use  doing  anything  for  a  sailor,  — 
the  best  treatment  is  a  belaying-pin  across  the  head,  and 
a  few  good  kicks."  —  " Now,  friends,"  I  said,  "you  are 


204  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOK 

not  alone  in  this ;  you've  got  one  who  is  quite  in  sym- 
pathy with  you  on  this  point,  and  that  is  your  master, 
the  devil ;  but  you  are  not  the  men  to  encourage  me  in 
my  work,  and  so  I  trust  the  Lord  and  go  right  ahead. 
Satan  wants  no  better  thing  to  accomplish  his  designs, 
than  men  like  you ;  but,  remember,  Jesus  reigneth,  and 
His  has  had  the  victory  over  many  a  poor,  down-trod- 
den sailor,  and  He  will  be  victor  always." 

The  leader  in  this  conversation — an  American  captain 
—  a  few  days  after  was  taken  to  the  hospital.  He  had 
lost  his  reason.  When  he  got  a  little  better,  they  sent 
him  home,  where  he  died  soon  after.  It  seems  hard, 
but  God  does  not  need  such  men  to  live  on  the  earth ; 
but  they  can  be  saved,  and  God  can  use  them.  O  that 
man  might  cease  to  merely  "  exist,"  but  live  ! 

A  poor  sailor,  who  had  often  attended  our  meetings, 
instead  of  coming  to  God  and  accepting  the  invitation 
of  Jesus,  got  worse  and  worse.  When  he  attended  the 
meeting  the  other  night,  it  was  to  be  the  last  night  that 
we  could  pray  with  him.  He  left  the  room,  and  said : 
"  It's  no  use,  I  won't  be  a  Christian,"  and  he  went  and 
made  himself  drunk  —  so  much  so,  that  in  the  night, 
walking  along  the  water's  edge,  on  the  landing-pier,  he 
fell  over,  and  before  he  could  be  taken  up  out  of  the 
water,  he  was  drowned.  What  shall  I  say  to  these 
things?  They  are  awful  records.  O  that  God  would 
impress  us  solemnly  to  live  as  in  the  sight  of  eternity, 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  205 

and  with  holy  and  pure  lives,  that  we  might  be  princes, 
—  kings  and  priests  unto  God ;  and  as  such,  to  have 
power  with  God  and  with  men,  and  be  thoroughly  fur- 
nished unto  all  good  works,  that  we  might  by  all  means 
save  some  —  that  we  might  go  into  the  highways  and 
search  the  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  hear  the  Gospel. 
Thank  God !  there  are  ways  to  compel  sinners  to  hear 
the  Gospel. 

A  German,  who  kept  a  drinking-place  and  brothel, 
forbade  me  emphatically  to  come  into  his  house ;  but  in 
front  of  his  door,  on  the  street,  he  had  no  right  over 
me,  and  so  we  had  some  meetings  there. 

A  STREET-MEETING  IN  FRONT  OF  A  BROTHEL. 

One  day,  however,  he  managed  to  set  some  young 
men  on  the  track,  to  disturb  us,  and,  if  possible,  to  pick 
a  quarrel  with  me.  Most  of  the  rumsellers  had  given 
up  this  work  in  despair,  for  I  would  never  quarrel ;  but 
this  German  was  a  hard  case.  However,  as  in  this 
case,  he  did  not  try  it  himself,  but  always  sent  some 
poor,  unsuspecting  sailors,  to  put  their  fingers  into  the 
fire  for  him.  A  few  glasses  of  beer  or  whiskey,  and 
now  for  "the  fun."  They  came  out  and  began  their 
manoeuvres.  I  stopped  talking,  of  course,  and  after 
waiting  a  few  moments,  said :  "  Now,  as  soon  as  you 
are  through  with  what  you  have  to  say,  I'll  go  on." 
For  a  minute  or  two  they  looked  at  me,  and  I  had  just 


SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

taken  up  my  subject,  when  one  of  the  party  stepped  in 
front  of  me,  and  said  :  "  Now,  here,  stop  that  nonsense. 
You  needn't  preach  to  us  about  these  stories,  we  don't 
believe  you,  anyway."  But  now  matters  looked  differ- 
ent, —  several  men  in  the  crowd  raised  their  voices  in 
my  defence,  and  as  the  young  man  made  no  signs  te  re- 
treat, the  men  walked  up  and  were  about  to  give  the 
fellow  a  sound  thrashing.  I  interposed  at  once,  and 
the  enemy  got  out  of  sight  in  double  quick.  The  au- 
dience had  doubled  in  number  by  this  time,  and  I  went 
on  preaching  to  them,  and  then  marched  them  off  to 
the  mission-room.  Some  followed,  and  some  did  not ; 
but  those  who  did  were  richly  blesssed,  and  so  as  to 
leave  a  hope  that  I  shall  meet  a  few  in  heaven;  and  I 
pray  God  that  sooner  or  later,  all  who  heard  the  word 
preached  by  his  humble  servant,  in  simple  faith,  in  these 
parts  of  God's  vineyard,  in  some  way  may  be  brought 
to  Christ. 

It  was  remarkable  in  what  way  and  manner  the  enemy 
of  mankind  sometimes  would  try  to  place  hindrances 
in  the  way  of  the  work.  After  a  Sabbath's  service  in 
the  harbor,  on  the  Monday  following,  a  captain  came  to 
me  on  the  street,  in  great  anger,  and  said :  "  Mr.  Krau- 
ser,  I  have  sworn  to  hinder  your  work  in  the  bay  in 
every  possible  way  I  can.  If  I  can  do  it,  you  shall  not 
have  a  ship  for  service  while  I  am  here  in  the  harbor. 
Yesterday,  while  you  were  preaching  on  the  main  deck, 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  207 

a  lot  of  sailors  from  other  ships  remained  in  the 
forecastle  and  had  bottles  of  whiskey  with  them,  and 
they,  with  a  few  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  ship,  got 
drunk,  and  the  captain  got  in  great  trouble  with  the 
men.  Now  your  work  must  be  stopped."  Shaking  his 
fist,  he  left  me. 

A  BIT  OP  ADVICE. 

Next  day  I  visited  that  captain  on  board  of  his  ship, 
and  had  a  good  long  talk  with  him.  I  told  him  that 
the  officers  of  the  ship  were  to  be  blamed  if  there  was 
any  blame  to  it,  and  not  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel ; 
"  but  if  you  godless  captains  can  throw  dirt  on  Christ, 
and  His  work,  you  are  only  too  ready  to  do  it.  Do  n't 
you  think  one  of  the  officers  might  stand  at  the  head  of 
the  gangway  and  see  to  it  that  every  visitor  takes  his 
seat  where  such  has  been  provided  for  him  ?  " — "  Yes, 
yes,  you  're  right.  I  think  that 's  a  good  idea."  — 
"Now,  are  you  not  ashamed  of  your  conduct  yester- 
day ?  "  —  "  Ah,  now  you  are  pushing  me  too  close,  sir." 
—  "  No,  I  do  n't ;  you  were  one  of  that  crowd  yester- 
day who  cried  out  some  years  ago  :  'Away  with  Him! 
away  with  Him ! '  and  rather  desired  a  thief  or  a  mur- 
derer, and  would  not  that  Christ  should  go  on  in  His 
work,  and  bless  my  sailor  boys.  Is  it  not  so?"  — 
"  Well,"  said  he.  "  that 's  rough,  but  never  mind ;  you 
just  come  here  next  Sunday,  and  announce  service  to 
be  held  on  board  my  ship  for  that  day."  —  "Now,  th:it 


208  SIX  YEARS    WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

is  sensible  enough,"  I  said  to  him ;  "but  if  you  don't 
give  up  your  drinking  and  all  the  rest  of  your  sins,  you 
cannot  save  your  soul ;  and  I  hope  that  you  will  begin 
this  day  to  pray  to  God  for  Christ's  sake  to  forgive  you." 
The  poor  man  could  not  see  his  way  clear  to  do  that, 
"  at  once,"  but  when  I  left  him  he  had  received  more 
light  on  the  subject  of  Christian  religion  than  he  ever 
had  before,  and  I  do  hope  the  dear  Saviour  will  lead  the 
captain  to  repentance.  Thus  the  devices  of  the  enemy 
are  frustrated,  and  the  blessed  Redeemer  is  glorified. 
Truly,  also,  God  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness, 
and  causes  His  children  to  praise  Him.  I  do  pray  God 
that  the  design  in  writing  these  experiences  in  the  work, 
may  be  accomplished,  and  lead  sinners  to  seek  their 
God,  and  see  how  terribly  the  enemy  deceives  poor  blind 
sinners ;  and,  secondly,  bless  Christians  in  reading  this, 
in  such  a  way  that  they  may  go  out  to  work  for  God  in 
winning  souls  for  Jesus,  and  laugh  at  impossibilities, 
and  know  that  perfect  love  casteth  out  all  fear. 

How  I  PAID  A  DEBT. 

How  wonderfully  God  will  provide  us  with  things  we 
need,  can  be  seen  by  the  following  experience,  which  I 
desire  to  tell  to  the  glory  of  God. 

For  a  considerable  time  I  had  been  much  depressed  in 
my  heart,  because  of  the  debt  of  $180,  we  still  owed  for 
our  furniture.  Eight  months  had  passed  since  the  pur- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  209 

chase,  but  our  income  supplied  only  the  running  ex- 
penses. I  at  once  prayed  to  God  to  send  the  money  to 
pay  that  debt,  now.  I  told  my  wife,  and  we  prayed  to- 
gether. The  following  day  the  burden  of  that  debt  in- 
creased, and  I  said  to  wife :  "  You  pray  here  in  the  din- 
ing-room, while  I  pray  up  stairs  :  and  we  will  both  pray 
that  the  Lord  may  send  us  the  money  at  once."  Now, 
while  praying,  I  felt  something  was  giving  way,  and  I 
obtained  the  promise,  "When  you  pray,  believe  that 
you  receive  it,  and  ye  shall  have  it."  I  claimed  the 
amount.  The  burden  left  me  immediately,  and  I  arose 
with  great  peace  in  my  soul.  Going  down  stairs  my 
dear  wife  came  to  meet  me,  and  her  face  looked  so  bright 
when  she  said,  "  The  Lord  has  heard  us,  and  I  can  rest 
now :  He  will  give  it  to  us."  She  had  received  the  same 
blessing  while  I  prayed  up  stairs.  In  the  afternoon,  a 
Christian  brother,  but  poor  in  worldly  possessions,  who 
had  received  the  blessing  of  a  clean  heart  in  one  of  my 
meetings,  called  on  me.  I  was  glad  to  see  him,  and  he 
said :  u  Brother,  we  have  been  much  exercised  on  your 
account  since  yesterday.  We  felt  to  pray  much  for 
you,  and  I  have  come  over  to  see  what  is  really  the  mat- 
ter here  at  your  home."  I  felt  so  happy  and  peaceful 
in  my  heart,  that  I  did  not  think  about  our  last  two 
days'  experience,  and  did  not  for  a  moment  think  the 
brother  alluded  to  it,  as  he  could  not  possibly  know 
anything  about  our  wants.  So  I  just  told  him  I  was 


210  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

glad  he  prayed  for  us,  and  that  I  felt  much  disposed  to 
praise  the  Lord  all  day  long,  and  added :  "  If,  at  any 
time,  God  has  blessed  me  and  my  wife,  it  is  surely  now," 
and  that  I  did  not  see  that  anything  else  was  the  matter. 
The  brother  seemed  glad  to  hear  this,  and  said  that  he 
had  been  impressed  by  the  Spirit  to  come  over  and  see 
me,  and  as  everything  was  all  right,  he  started  to  go 
back  home,  after  we  had  spoken  about  some  other 
things.  I  went  with  him  to  the  door.  Then  he  took 
my  hand,  and  looking  at  me,  said  :  "  Now,  brother,  are 
you  sure  there  is  nothing  you  want  ?  "  I  did  not  un- 
derstand what  he  meant,  and  I  told  him  so.  He  then 
said  in  an  undertone :  "  Bro.  K.,  I  know  you  have  not 
been  able  to  pay  for  your  furniture  yet;  you  did  not 
know  that  I  was  acquainted  with  the  fact,  and  when 
yesterday,  during  family  prayers,  we  prayed  for  you, 
and  again  this  morning,  we  were  much  concerned  about 
you,  and  I  do  n't  know  how  it  came,  but  I  thought 
about  that  debt.  I  cannot  help  you,  dear  brother,  you 
know  that ;  but  we  can  help  you  pray  for  the  money." 
While  the  brother  was  talking  thus  I  could  hold  back 
no  longer.  I  had  listened  with  amazement  to  what  he 
said,  and  now  I  told  him  my  experience,  and  how,  for 
the  last  two  days,  we  had  prayed  to  God  for  that  very 
same  thing.  The  brother  was  overjoyed  to  hear  what 
he  did,  and  grasping  my  hand,  said :  "  Surely  God  is 
sending  you  the  money :  I  will  go  on  praying  until  you 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  211 

do  get  it."  Now  that  was  remarkable,  and  as  I  sat 
down  with  my  wife,  we  tallied  about  this,  and  wondered 
what  would  come  next.  We  felt  as  if  at  any  mo- 
ment some  one  might  step  into  the  room  and  give  us 
the  money.  But  evening  came  and  nothing  had  arrived 
yet.  Our  faith  was  severely  tried — it  was  quite  cer- 
tain the  money  was  to  come  somehow  that  night.  Both 
I  and  my  wife  had  never  felt  so  trustful  and  resting 
upon  God  as  in  this  particular  case,  and  there  was  no 
wavering  experienced.  We  had  just  finished  our  sup- 
per, when  the  bell  rang.  I  opened  the  door  and  admit- 
ed  the  brother  who  had  called  on  me  in  the  afternoon, 
accompanied  by  his  wife.  We  welcomed  them  heartily 
and  invited  them  in.  We  had  conversed  only  a  few 
minutes,  when  the  brother  took  a  letter  from  his  pocket 
and  handed  it  to  me  ;  and  I,  thanking  him,  put  it  into 
my  pocket,  to  read  it  after  the  visitors  should  have  re- 
tired. But  he  said :  "  Not  so,  I  want  you  to  read  it  now, 
and  give  me  an  answer."  I  saw  both  he  and  his  wife 
smiling,  so  I  opened  the  letter,  and  there  was  nothing 
written  in  it ;  but  I  held  in  my  trembling  hand  two  one- 
hundred  dollar  bills.  I  could  not  speak,  but  I  wept. 
The  joy  was  too  much  for  me.  I  arose  and  embracing 
the  brother,  I  wept  on  his  neck,  while  the  two  sisters 
did  the  same.  Then  I  pressed  my  wife  to  my  heart,  and 
tenderly  kissing  her,  I  said :  "  God  is  good."  —  "  Yes," 
was  all  she  could  whisper.  It  was  a  great  blessing  to 


212  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

us,  and  a  scene  which  angels  love  to  behold.  When  we 
had  recovered  somewhat,  I  wanted  to  know  all  about 
it  —  how  the  Lord  had  provided  that  money,  for  I  knew 
that  this  poor  man  did  not  possess  that  amount  to  give 
away.  He  said :  "  It  is  very  simple.  Soon  after  I  left 
you  in  the  afternoon,  I  had  some  business  down  town. 
A  gentleman  had  told  me  to  come  to  his  office  and  get 
a  key  to  his  house,  which  I  was  to  clean  up,  and  do  some 
painting.  After  I  had  made  my  arrangement  with  him, 
he  said :  "  Mr.  W.,  you  are  a  friend  of  Mr.  K.  ?  "  — "  Yes, 
sir."  —  "  You  know  how  he  is  getting  along  ?  "  —  "  Yes, 
he  is  getting  along  well  —  the  Lord  is  blessing  him  in 
his  work."  —  "  Well,  that  is  not  what  I  mean.  I  know 
that :  but  how  is  he  getting  along  financially  ?  "  —  "  Oh, 
I  guess  pretty  well."  — "  Do  you  know  whether  he  is  in 
need  just  now  ?  "  —  "  Yes,  I  believe  he  is  just  now  in  a 
little  pinch."  — "  Well,  I  thought  so.  Now,  Mr.  W., 
do  me  the  favor  to  hand  to  Mr.  K.  this  envelope.  I  had 
it  ready  to  send  before  you  came  in,  but  as  you  live 
near  by,  just  run  over.  I  am  glad  to  have  heard  what 
you  said."  Bro.  W.  continued  and  said :  "  I  myself  did 
not  know  how  much  there  was  in  that  envelope ;  I  had 
no  idea ;  but  I  trusted  the  Lord  would  make  it  all  right." 
Now,  could  we  not  all  see  the  hand  of  God  so  plain  in 
this  whole  matter  from  beginning  to  end  ?  How  did 
God  use  just  these  two  men,  and  in  particular  this  poor 
man,  to  be  the  messenger  to  bring  the  letter  to  our 


TN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  213 

house !  What  a  blessing  it  proved  to  be  to  both !  Oh, 
how  good  and  kind  is  our  Heavenly  Father  !  We  had  a 
regular  good  old-fashioned  Methodist  class-meeting  be- 
fore we  separated,  telling  what  God  had  done  for  us  in 
the  past.  There  was  no  need  to  say :  "  Lord,  increase 
our  faith."  Walking  in  the  light,  we  simply  would  be- 
lieve —  take  God  at  His  word.  We  had  received  above 
that  which  we  had  asked.  Praise  His  name ! 

TOBACCO  EXPERIENCES. 

In  a  meeting  on  board  ship,  I  gave  my  experience  in 
tobacco.  At  the  close  a  captain  present  related  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  Tobacco,  for  a  long  time,  held  me  a  prisoner, 
as  it  does  most  sailors,  until  one  day  the  light  came  to 
me  that  it  was  rather  a  foolish  way  of  spending  money, 
and  that  this  money  belonged  to  the  Lord,  and 
that  I  had  no  right  to  consume  it  on  such  an  appetite 
as  that.  So  I  laid  tobacco  aside  from  a  sense  of 
duty.  I  was  tempted  severely,  and  I  thought,  '  I  am 
able  to  fight  against  it,'  and  I  rather  took  pride  in  the 
thought  that  I  could.  One  morning,  however,  I  caught 
myself  stuffing  a  pipe,  and  never  found  it  out  until  I 
struck  a  match  to  light  it.  I  felt  ashamed.  I  laid  it 
aside  and  said :  '  I  '11  never  touch  it  again  I '  Soon  after 
I  was  called  to  take  my  ship  to  Smyrna,  and  run  against 
two  fine  clipper-ships.  The  owners  of  the  ships  had 
set  out  a  ten-pound  note  for  the  one  who  should  reach 


214  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

the  port  first.  You  cannot  imagine  how  I  was  tempted 
on  tobacco  during  that  voyage,  as  for  hours  I  walked 
the  deck,  watching  the  wind  and  weather,  in  order  to 
take  every  possible  advantage.  I  felt  a  burning  desire 
to  smoke  —  to  be  occupied  with  something.  But  now 
comes  the  fight  and  the  victory.  The  devil  told  me, 
*  You  must  get  your  pipe.'  I  ran  down  into  my  cabin, 
and  falling  down  upon  my  knees,  prayed  God  to  cleanse 
my  heart  from  this  desire  for  the  filthy  stuff.  It  then 
occurred  to  me  that  I  had  not  been  to  God  with  it  be- 
fore. I  prayed  now  for  God  to  save  me,  and  then  and 
there  I  was  delivered.  My  work  on  deck  was  now 
much  easier,  and  my  undivided  attention  was  given  to 
the  sailing.  I  did  not  have  that  feeling  of  ease  and 
carelessness  that  one  experiences  in  smoking.  My  ship 
was  in  Smyrna  two  days  before  the  two  other  vessels." 
Another  captain  said :  "  One  day,  walking  on  deck,  I 
was  clearly  convicted  about  my  smoking.  I  took  the 
short  pipe  out  of  my  mouth,  and  looking  at  it,  I  clenched 
my  fist  and  just  said :  '  What !  you  dirty  little  black 
pipe,  you  were  trying  to  get  me  under,  and  make  me 
your  slave  !  Never ! '  and  with  that  I  suited  the  action 
to  the  word,  and  threw  pipe  and  tobacco  overboard,  and 
then,  thanked  God  for  deliverance,  and  like  my  friend, 
Captain  Parnell,  I  have  never  been  troubled  with  a  de- 
sire since." 


IN   SOTJTn   AMERICA.  215 

PRAYER  ON  A  JIB-BOOM. 

The  Lord  converted  three  of  the  seamen  on  board  of 
the  ship  Rose  of  Devon.  Another  had  sat  down  on  the 
jib-boom,  hoping  to  be  out  of  reach.  I  went  after  him, 
and  holding  on  to  the  ropes,  I  prayed  with  him  there. 

That  afternoon  I  visited  the  hospital,  and  saw  a  sick 
man.  He  sat  near  the  window,  between  two  beds. 
After  conversing  with  him  for  a  time,  I  asked  him 
whether  I  should  pray  with  him.  He  replied  that  I 
might  save  myself  the  trouble.  I  said  it  was  not  any 
trouble,  and  I  knelt  down  and  prayed.  The  poor  man 
arose  from  his  seat,  and  stepping  over  my  head,  went 
away  ;  but  I  prayed  on.  The  man  went  as  far  as  the 
door,  then  he  stopped  and  watched  me.  When  I  came 
towards  him  he  went  away.  David  says :  "  Thou  alone 
makest  me  to  dwell  in  safety."  Those  who  turn  away 
from  God  are  not  safe.  Whether  sick  or  well,  can  we 
lie  down  and  sleep  in  peace  outside  of  God  ?  What  an 
opportunity  the  sick  have  to  commune  with  their  own 
hearts  (Ps.  iv.) !  Not  always,  however.  Many  have 
waited,  and  put  off  the  day  of  salvation. 

IN  THE  GRIP  OF  DEATH. 

I  was  called  to  the  Sailors'  Home,  and  led  into  a  room 
where  a  dying  man  lay  on  his  bed.  He  had  called  for 
me.  He  made  signs  with  his  hand  that  I  should  sit 


216  SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOE, 

down  near  him.  To  my  astonishment  he  began  to  talk 
about  worldly  things,  and  seemed  to  be  eagerly  expect- 
ing that  I  should  tell  him  that  he  would  get  better, 
while  death  was  actually  fastened  on  his  face,  and  the 
doctor  had  told  him  to  prepare  for  death.  He  could 
not  believe  it.  The  poor,  unhappy  man  —  I  pitied  him 
intensely ;  and  I  began  to  point  out  Christ  to  him.  To 
my  great  astonishment  he  said  :  "  Please  don't  speak  to 
me  of  that.  I  can't  bear  to  hear  that  name."  I  held 
his  hand,  and  looking  at  him,  said :  "  My  dear  friend, 
how  can  you  speak  like  that,  with  no  prospect  of  life 
before  you  ?  Do  think  of  making  your  peace  with 
God."  With  an  effort  the  man  raised  himself  in  the 
bed,  and  those  ghastly  eyes  were  fixed  upon  me,  and  in 
an  angry  tone  he  said :  "  Do  leave  the  room.  I  tell  you 
I  don't  want  to  hear  of  that  name."  I  rose  from  my 
chair,  and  was  just  about  speaking  again,  when,  with  a 
thundering  voice,  he  exclaimed :  "  Leave  the  room ! 
leave  the  room  !  or  I  will  throw  this  chair  at  you !  I 
will  not  die !  Go,  leave  the  room  I  "  —  "  God  have 
mercy  on  you !  "  I  said,  and  then,  with  a  sad  heart,  left 
the  room.  In  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  I  was 
called  to  the  Seamen's  Home  again,  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  burial  of  the  man.  He  had  passed  away 
his  life  in  sin,  and  they  told  me  he  died  miserably, 
though  conscious  to  the  last. 

In  the  midst  of  these  dark  scenes  in  the  work,  there 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  217 

came  days  when  the  heart  was  made  glad.  I  visited  a 
ship  in  the  harbor  and  preached  on  board,  one  Sabbath, 
and  in  the  afternoon  held  an  extra  meeting  in  the  fore- 
castle, with  the  men,  for  I  had  noticed  during  the  morn- 
ing service  that  some  were  convicted  of  sin  by  the 
Spirit.  There  was  a  wonderful  feeling  manifested 
among  them,  and  the  Lord  gave  me  one  soul.  Then 
the  men  told  me  how  easy  it  was  to  become  a  better 
man  on  board  of  their  ship  in  comparison  to  other  ships, 
and  it  was  touching  how  they  spoke  of  the  captain's 
wife.  They  said :  "She  will  often  talk  to  us  about  our 
souls,  and  give  us  tracts  and  good  books,  and  then  she 
will  make  us  bring  our  clothes  and  she  will  patch  them 
for  us,  and  make  us  keep  them  in  good  order."  How 
blessed  is  such  a  testimony  from  the  sailors  on  board  a 
ship,  and^t  tells  me  what  a  blessed  influence  a  Christian 
captain,  or  a  Christain  wife  of  a  captain,  may  exercise 
on  a  ship.  They  closed  their  beautiful  story  in  saying : 
41  Why,  she  is  like  a  mother  to  us!"  God  bless  that 
dear  woman,  on  board  of  the  Formosa  ! 

On  board  of  the  BeecJiwood  we  had  blessed  meetings 
during  the  week,  and  on  the  Sabbath. 

DECIDING  FOR  CHRIST  ON  THE  GANGWAY. 

God  had  converted  some  of  the  men,  and  just  before 
the  ship  left  her  moorings  to  sail  for  England,  I  s;i\v 
her  off,  and  on  the  gangway  the  chief  officer  gave  liis 


218  SIX  YEAKS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

heart  to  Jesus,  and  taking  hold  of  my  hand,  said : 
"  Bro.  K.,  by  the  grace  of  God  I  will  meet  you  in 
heaven  !  "  That  was  a  glorious  parting,  and  I  felt  the 
Lord  had  sent  me  on  board  to  receive  this  mate's  tes- 
timony. The  ship  hove  up  her  anchors,  and  was  taken 
outside  the  bay  and  fastened  to  a  buoy,  to  await  a  fav- 
orable breeze,  and  before  it  came  the  crew  had  an  op- 
portunity to  prove  in  a  degree  their  sincerity,  and  the 
effect  of  the  word  of  God  upon  their  hearts,  in  a  re- 
markable way.  Coming  on  shore  I  went  to  the  office 
of  a  merchant  who  was  the  treasurer  of  the  Seamen's 
Society,  in  order  to  give  him  $22,  which  some  parties 
had  given  me  for  the  work.  Somehow  I  had  lost  that 
that  money.  I  felt  sorry,  but  what  could  I  do  ?  When 
I  discovered  the  loss,  I  said  with  all  my  heart,  "  Praise 
the  Lord  !  "  and  taking  out  of  my  pocket-boqk  another 
$22,  went  and  paid  it,  telling  the  treasurer  that  I  had 
just  lost  the  original  bills.  I  left  the  store  and  ran  up 
to  my  house  to  get  dinner.  When  I  told  my  good  wife 
about  the  money  lost,  she  told  me  that  perhaps  I  was 
careless  in  not  putting  it  with  the  money  I  carried  in 
the  pocket-book;  but  it  was  not  that  exactly,  I  had  only 
in  haste  taken  out  my  note-book,  instead  of  the  pocket 
bank  note-book,  and  had  lost  it  with  the  money.  I  felt 
somehow  that  I  could  pray  for  the  finding  of  the  money, 
and  knowing  also  that  we  could  not  well  suffer  the  loss 
of  $22,  we  placed  it  in  humble  prater  before  the  Lord. 


nf  SOUTH  AMERICA.  219 

About  two  in  the  afternoon,  I  told  my  wife  I  would  go 
down  town  the  same  road  that  I  had  taken  in  the  morn- 
ing, feeling  as  though  I  would  find  the  money.  She 
looked  doubtful,  and  I  said :  "  Now,  be  praying  and  be- 
lieving while  I  go  and  look."  Following  the  road  toward 
the  harbor  I  looked  about  me  every  step  almost,  but 
nothing  could  be  seen,  and  my  faith  was  tried,  and  I 
said  to  myself :  "  Praise  the  Lord !  I  will  have  it  yet." 
Just  then  some  one  called  my  name.  I  looked  up  and 
saw  Capt.  P.,  of  the  Beecliwood,  running  towards  me  in 
great  haste,  and  pressing  a  closed  envelope  into  my 
hand,  said :  "  This  is  from  the  crew.  You  know  I 
heard  you  lost  822.  Mr.  H.  told  me  so  when  I  went  to 
get  my  papers  for  the  ship.  I  went  on  board  and 
dropped  the  remark,  and  the  chief  officer  heard  it,  so 
he  went  back  to  the  men,  and  they  made  a  list,  and  in 
five  minutes  the  whole  amount  was  subscribed.  Then 
they  begged  me  to  go  on  shore  and  deposit  the  money 
with  some  -one,  as  I  did  not  expect  to  meet  you."  I 
had  hardly  time  to  thank  the  captain.  He  said  a  hasty 
good-by,  and  "  in  half  an  hour  we'll  be  off,"  jumped  into 
his  boat,  and  away  he  went.  God  made  me  find  the 
money.  Amen  I  Praise  the  Lord !  There  are  millions 
of  people  who  should  invest  money  in  the  Lord's  work ; 
but  what  do  they  rather  use  it  for?  To  consume  it  up- 
on their  own  desire — lust.  When  will  men  begin  to 
count  the  returns  for  their  hard-earned,  and  so  easy- 


220  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

spent,  money?  To  lay  up  never-failing  treasures  in 
heaven  is  little  thought  of  on  this  line ;  but  there  will 
be  a  weighing  in  the  balance  some  day.  What  do  men 
give  to  gain  money  ?  Reputation  and  honor,  yea,  their 
strength  and  life-blood.  How  many  respectable  thieves 
and  robbers  have  we  about  us,  and  in  our  home  circles. 
When  some  have  taken  the  first  step  they  still  tremble, 
but  the  second  step  they  sat  down  quite  easy.  But 
thanks  be  to  God!  some  are  being  rescued  from  this 
dreadful  hell. 

BE  SURE  YOUR  SIN  WILL  FIND  You  OUT. 

A  young  man  attended  my  meetings,  and  one  night 
he  followed  me  nearly  to  my  house,  and  I  did  not  know 
it.  Just  about  to  turn  the  corner  of  a  street,  where 
there  stood  a  lamp-post,  lighting  the  road  up  to  my 
house  on  a  hill,  he  touched  me  on  the  shoulder,  and 
said,  "  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Krauser,  but  I  must  speak 
with  you."  I  had  turned  about  and  taken  his  hand, 
and  waited  for  him  to  say  on ;  but  the  poor  fellow 
would  not  say  a  word.  He  trembled  as  he  looked  to 
the  ground,  and  then  the  tears  began  to  flow.  I  let 
him  take  his  time,  feeling  deeply  for  him  as  he  stood 
there.  "  Tell  me  all,  my  dear  friend ;  if  you  had  no 
confidence,  you  would  not  have  followed  me  so  far." 
He  then  began  as  follows :  "  I  had  the  contract  with 
a  glazier  to  make  the  windows  of  a  large  building 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  221 

belonging  to  the  government,  and  when  the  work  was 

finished  he  came  to  me  and  said :  'Now,  Mr.  M ,  we 

might  make  a  little  extra  on  this  work.  You  know  I 
took  this  job  cheaper  than  anyone  else  would,  and  tliis 
is  the  government,  and  they  don't  mind  paying,  if  we 
put  down  on  the  bill  a  few  hundred  window-panes 
more.  You  know  I  don't  make  anything  anyway,  and 
if  you  agree  I'll  divide  with  you.'  Oh,  Mr.  Krauser, 
you  see  I  gave  way !  He  handed  in  his  bill,  and  then 
we  divided,  and  now  this  money  is  in  my  pocket,  and 
it  burns  me  to  my  bones.  Oh,  I  can't  bear  it !  it 
troubles  me  so  that  in  some  way  I  must  get  rid  of  it ; 
and,  besides,  I  feel  that  I'm  a  wretched  man,  and  lost. 
Oh,  that  God  might,  for  Christ's  sake,  forgive  me  my 
sins !  Oh,  do  pray  for  me,  Mr.  Krauser  I "  The  un- 
happy man  took  my  hand,  and  imploringly  looked  into 
my  face.  I  saw  he  was  in  earnest,  so  I  knelt  down 
beside  the  lamp-post  and  lie  followed  the  example. 
There  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  and  he  began  to 
pray  for  himself.  Yes,  and  God  answered  our  united 
prayer  on  the  spot.  As  the  light  of  that  lamp-post 
shone  down  upon  us,  so  did  the  light  from  Calvary 
shine  into  that  man's  heart.  The  first  thing  he  said 
when  he  rose  was,  "  Now,  by  the  help  of  God,  I  shall  go 
to  the  man  who  tempted  me  and  throw  the  Judas 
money  on  the  counter  as  soon  as  he  opens  the  store  in 
the  morning."  I  met  the  young  mau  next  day.  He 


222  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

looked  so  bright  and  cheerful.  "  Well,  M.,  how  is  it  now  ?  " 
"  Oh,  praise  the  Lord  !  I  am  saved  and  free  !  I  gave  up  the 
money,  and  the  man  said  to  me  that  I  was  a  fool,  and 
I  answered  him,  yes  I  was  a  fool,  to  lose  my  soul  for  the 
sake  of  money,  but  thank  God,  I  have  the  salvation 
of  Christ  in  my  soul.  Glory  be  to  God  for  deliverance  ! '' 
For  the  sake  of  the  soul,  let  no  man  be  ensnared  by 
money :  it  is  the  metal  of  the  chain  that  binds  them  in 
hell. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IN  THE   FIERY   FURNACE   WITH  JESUS.  —  UNEXPECTED 
CHANGES. 

UNDER  such  manifest  blessings  of  God,  the  new  year 
— 1883  —  drew  near,  and  during  the  month  of  Jan- 
uary the  Lord,  in  such  a  wonderful  way,  poured  out 
His  blessing  upon  the  work,  as  we  probably  had  not  felt 
or  seen  in  all  the  three  years  of  the  past.  There  was 

no  "  excitement,"  but  a  steady,  certain  giving  way  of 

• 

the  powers  of  darkness  in  every  meeting  during  the 
week,  and  on  the  Sabbath.  In  the  hospital  work,  and 
in  the  harbor,  daily,  souls  were  brought  to  Christ ;  and 
such  a  mighty  inquiry  prevailed,  that  every  day,  from 
the  early  morning  up  to  late  at  night  (sometimes 
11  o'  clock),  I  was  engaged  visiting  the  workshops  on 
shore,  and  the  shipping  in  the  bay,  and  holding  meet- 
ings in  the  evening,  either  on  shore,  at  the  mission-room, 
or  on  board  ship  among  the  sailors  in  the  forecastle ;  as 
also  in  the  rum-shops  in  the  "Maintop."  At  one  of 
the  meetings  at  the  room,  eleven  members  of  our  band 
stepped  into  the  blessing  of  entire  sanctification,  and 
three  hardened  sinners  were  converted  to  God.  Visit- 
ing two  ships  ready  to  leave  the  port,  I  spoke  to  the 
crew  once  more,  and  several  received  Christ  before  I 

223 


224  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

left  the  ship.  One  man,  who  had  kept  from  giving  him- 
self up  entirely,  for  cleansing,  stepped  out  on  the  prom- 
ise, u  I  will  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  13 
stayed  on  Me,  because  he  trusteth  in  Me,"  —  by  faith, 
—  perfect  peace — a  stayed  mind.  He  understood  me 
perfectly,  and  with  a  beaming  face  he  said :  "  Glory  to 
God !  He  cleanseth  me  now !  "  His  trouble  had  been 
concerning  evil  thoughts ;  hence  this  text  from  Isaiah 
was  blessed  to  him.  He  could  not  distinguish  between 
"  evil  thoughts  "  and  "  thoughts  of  evil,"  and  the  en- 
emy had  troubled  him  much  and  long  about  it,  until  he 
almost  despaired  of  ever  getting  rid  of  evil  thoughts, 
as  he  expressed  himself. 

A  tidal  wave  of  salvation  had  swept  over  us  for  three 
years,  and  we  had  not  got  over  it  yet.  My  heart  was 
filled  with  praises  toward  God,  for  truly  wonderful 
works  were  done  through  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  all  the  glory  belongs  to  God. 

Taking  leave  of  the  men  on  a  ship,  one  followed  me 
on  deck  and  there  spoke  to  me.  He  could  not  go  out 
to  sea  without  Jesus,  and  Jesus  did  not  let  him  go  with- 
out, for,  up  on  deck,  under  the  "mizzen,"  He  saved  the 
dear  boy,  and  with  his  eyes  beaming  for  gladness,  he  ran 
to  his  work.  While  speaking  to  the  men  on  another 
ship  in  the  evening,  just  before  returning  on  shore  to 
open  the  mission-room,  I  dropped  the  remark,  "  You  can- 
not be  on  square  accounts  with  God,  and  not  know  it." 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  225 

A  sailor  arose  and  exclaimed,  "  Praise  God,  I  see  it  all 
now !  yes,  glory  to  God !  I  know  this  moment  the  ques- 
tion is  settled,  I  am  the  Lord's,  and  Jesus  saves  me  this 
moment." 

THE  GOSPEL  FOR  THE  NATIVES. 

On  shore  the  Lord  had  converted  a  native,  who  daily 
went  about  the  city  selling  Bibles  and  Testaments  to 
his  countrymen,  and  he  was  wonderfully  successful  in 
his  sales.  Everywhere,  in  the  harbor  especially,  men 
were  found  grouping  together  along  the  landing-stages, 
and  reading  God's  word,  and  early  in  the  morning,  at 
6  o'clock,  twice  every  week,  I  took  position  there  and 
distributed  reading  matter  to  the  natives.  Oftentimes 
I  was  surrounded  by  hundreds,  and  it  was  pleasing  to 
see  how  eagerly  they  would  devour  the  tracts  with  their 
eyes,  and  then  read  to  those  who  could  not.  Policemen 
and  custom-house  officers  alike  were  anxious  to  receive 
tracts,  and  would  force  their  way  to  me,  and  they  gen- 
erally succeeded  better  than  any  one  else,  as  their  offi- 
cial robe  was  respected.  I  should  have  often  been 
over-run  by  the  crowd,  and  then  I  took  my  stand  close 
to  the  water's  edge.  Now  I  was  safe,  for  they  took 
good  care  not  to  push  me  over  into  the  water,  and  un- 
der God  I  could  trust  them  perfectly ;  but,  besides,  I 
knew  every  one  loved  to  see  me.  Then  the  boats  were 
remembered,  which  by  this  time  had  collected  in  great 


226  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

numbers.     Jumping  into  one  of  them,  I  began  to  dis- 
tribute.    These  days  were  feast-days  in  the  harbor. 

SHADOWS  OF  THE  VALLEY. 

But  now  came  upon  me  the  greatest  trial  of  my  life. 
In  the  midst  of  such  work,  I  must  cease  to  work ;  yea, 
more  than  that,  leave  this  place,  which  by  this  time  had 
become  so  dear  to  me.  When  I  was  asked  once  by  the 
oldest  missionary  on  the  coast  —  Dr.  Trumbull  —  how 
long  I  expected  to  remain  in  the  country,  my  answer 
was,  "A  life-time."  The  good  Dr.  liked  that;  he 
thought  this  to  be  the  only  way  to  do  lasting  good,  and 
I  agreed  with  him  in  this.  And  yet  I  must  go.  My 
poor  wife  had  been  failing  in  health  for  nearly  two 
years.  It  had  become  an  object  of  daily  prayer ;  but 
she  got  worse  and  worse.  To  relieve  her  in  her  house- 
work, the  Lord  sent  us  sufficient  means  to  hire  two  ser- 
vants, —  one  for  the  housework  and  the  other  for  our 
children,  —  the  Lord  having  blessed  us  with  two  clear 
little  boys.  But  all  this  seemed  to  be  of  no  effect. 
Three  trips  to  the  South  did  not  prove  to  be  of  much 
benefit.  On  the  contrary,  every  time  she  returned  to 
Valparaiso  her  health  was  declining.  However,  the 
thought  that  we  would  ever  be  compelled  to' leave  the 
work  on  this  account,  for  a  change  of  climate,  never 
entered  our  mind,  until  at  last  one  of  the  best  physi- 
cians, who  attended  my  wife,  insisted  on  our  going  to 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  227 

Europe.  Heart  disease,  and  the  symptoms  of  consump- 
tion, had  made  their  appearance  in  an  appalling  man- 
ner. Oh,  how  I  was  tried !  I  had  been  so  taken  up  with 
the  work  that  the  fact  became  a  trial  to  me,  supposing 
that  I  had  not  heeded  the  entreaties  of  my  dear  wife 
long  before,  although  I  knew  she  had  suffered  so  much 
for  some  time.  In  this  hour  of  my  greatest  trial,  oh, 
how  I  felt  the  sustaining  power  of  my  blessed  Jesus ! 
While  writing  down  these  lines,  tears  fill  my  eyes,  — 
tears  of  thankfulness  and  gratitude  towards  the  Mighty 
to  save.  The  enemy  of  my  soul  tried  hard  to  shake  my 
faith,  and  most  severely  thrust  those  tilings  at  me, 
which,  under  such  circumstances,  in  relation  to  family 
affairs,  are  used  by  him.  Days  of  fasting  and  prayer 
followed.  Brethren  and  sisters  were  consulted,  and 
from  some  came  opposition  to  my  leaving ;  others,  again, 
said  I  must  go.  My  physical  strength  threatened  to 
give  way,  being  crowded  on  every  hand ;  but  deliver- 
ance did  come,  and  I  expected  it,  praise  the  Lord ! 

A  STRUGGLE  FOR  LIGHT. 

Bro.  Collyer,  from  Iquiquc,  who  supplied  the  pulpit 
of  the  Union  church  for  a  tune,  came  to  me  late  one 
evening.  My  wife  had  retired  with  the  children,  and  I 
lay  on  the  floor  in  the  parlor,  praying.  When  I  adiuit- 
ed  him,  he  fell  on  my  neck,  and  we  kissed  each  other. 
We  remained  in  each  other's  embrace  for  some  minutes ; 


228  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

neither  one  of  us  could  speak  a  word.  He  then  led  me 
to  the  sofa,  and  now  came  the  deliverance.  Bro.  Coll- 
yer  talked  to  me,  and  we  prayed  together.  He  stayed 
with  me  until  after  twelve  o  'clock.  I  think  it  was  past 
one  when  he  left.  But  what  transpired  during  these 
hours,  I  cannot  describe.  I  want  to  be  spared  to  relate 
the  bitter,  —  be  spared  to  relate  the  sweet,  that  put  out 
the  bitter.  It  is  so  glorious,  the  remembrance  of  that 
hour !  The  tremendous  weight  that  had  almost  crushed 
me,  had  rolled  away.  Bro.  Collyer  was  sick  —  the  same 
trouble  as  my  darling  wife,  except  the  heart  disease ; 
and  he  thought  that  sometime  he  should  leave.  Yes, 
only  too  soon  he  left!  The  result  of  that  night's  meet- 
ing, was  our  decision  to  go  on  a  trip  to  Europe,  and 
thence  return  to  the  United  States. 

On  Feb.  6,  I  installed  the  officers  of  my  Good  Tem- 
plars' Lodge  for  the  last  quarter.  The  work  among 
them  is  a  blessing  to  the  community.  Clergymen  of 
other  denominations  had  taken  interest  in  the  temper- 
ance work,  and  helped  much  to  spread  the  cause. 

MY  GERMAN  METHODIST  CHURCH. 

I  had  organized  my  German  Methodist  Church  with 
twenty-four  members.  The  temperance  work  and  the 
direct  religious  work  had  been  done  in  halls  not  belong- 
ing to  us.  Ground  and  buildings  being  very  high,  we 
could  not  gain  property,  and  had  not  been  able  to  so 


IN   SOTJTII   AMERICA.  229 

keep  the  people  together,  as  to  justify  an  organiza- 
tion among  the  English-speaking  people  of  the  com- 
munity ;  in  fact,  under  the  circumstances,  I  encouraged 
them  to  join  other  churches,  for  they  must  needs  have 
a  home. 

The  unpleasant  task  of  packing  trunks  began  now, 
and  the  selling  of  furniture.  I  found  that  we  had,  dur- 
ing the  three  )rears,  accumulated  property  .to  the  amount 
of  8GOO  in  Chili  paper ;  however,  this  left  us  just  with 
our  personal  effects.  I  received  $100  as  a  present  from 
a  clergyman,  and  this  enabled  us  to  buy  a  second-class 
ticket  to  Liverpool.  "We  had  only  seven  pounds  ster- 
ling left,  but  we  were  willing  to  trust  God  for  the  future, 
as  we  had  done  in  the  past.  A  long  sea-voyage  would 
be  necessary  for  my  wife,  and  I  used  this  opportunity 
to  visit  Germany  after  an  absence  from  the  "  Father- 
land "  of  thirteen  years,  and,  if  it  pleased  God,  to  preach 
there. 

We  had  the  great  joy  of  entertaining  Dr.  Taylor  at 
our  house.  He  had  come  to  South  America  a  short 
time  ago,  and  when  he  found  the  necessity  of  my  leav- 
ing Valparaiso,  he  came  down  to  arrange  to  put  in 
another  man  in  the  work ;  but  now  it  was  found  thai 
the  merchants  and  others  who  had  given  money  towards 
the  support  of  the  mission,  had  agreed  with  the  Union 
Church  committee  not  to  receive  any  of  Taylor's  men, 
but  make  the  work  one  of  their  own,  as  they  considered 


230  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

now  that  it  virtually  had  belonged  to  them  all  the 
while ;  because,  being  largely  members  of  that  church, 
they  had  been  giving  to  the  Seamen's  Mission  of  their 
money.  Now  a  change  being  necessary,  they  thought 
the  time  had  come  to  take  it  into  their  own  hands; 
which  they  voted  upon,  and  gave  Mr.  Taylor  to  under- 
stand it ;  however,  not  directly.  He  was  permitted  to 
find  it  out  for  himself.  To  God  belongs  the  glory  of 
the  past,  and  the  glory  of  the  future  work,  whoever 
is  to  carry  it  on. 

This  was  another  trial  before  I  left.  The  work  was 
left  without  a  man  to  do  the  work.  I  had  held,  during 
the  three  years  in  Valparaiso,  from  Jan.  2,  1880,  up  to 
Feb.  19,  1883,  1,415  meetings1.  My  last  meeting  in  the 
harbor,  Feb.  18,  was  on  board  the  Arequipa,  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  in  the  afternoon  preaching  to  my  German 
congregation  from  Paul's  charge  to  the  elders  at  Ephe- 
sus :  "  I  commend  you  to  Gad  and  the  word  of  His 
grace,  which  is  able  to  build  you  up  and  give  you  an 
inheritance  among  them  that  are  sanctified  by  faith  that 
is  in  me."  All  were  in  tears,  and  praised  God.  Thus 
closed  my  work  in  Valparaiso.  But  I  asked  the  ques- 
tion, "  Will  God  ever  bring  me  back  ?  " 

A  TRIP  TO  THE  OLD  FATHERLAND. 

Feb.  20. — Everything  was  now  ready,  and  taking 
leave  of  many  friends,  we  embarked  for  England  that 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  231 

day.  The  steamer  was  about  to  sail,  and  the  anchor 
was  being  heaved  up,  when  in  haste  Dr.  T.  came  on 
board,  and  handing  me  a  check  for  forty-three  pounds 
sterling,  said  that  a  friend  on  shore  had  given  this  for 
me,  and  I  could  get  it  cashed  in  England.  Thus  trust- 
ing God  alone,  we  were  supplied  in  time  of  need,  just 
before  sailing.  Only  fifteen  minutes  later  and  it  would 
have  been  too  late,  for  when  the  good  Dr.  descended 
the  ladder,  and  touched  the  boat,  the  propeller  made 
the  first  turn  forward. 

ONE  TAKEN,  THE  OTHER  LEFT. 

Bro.  Collyer  was  to  leave  by  sailing  vessel  soon  after 
for  California,  his  health  failing  rapidly.  He  looked 
much  better  than  my  wife,  and  the  two,  shaking  hands, 
did  not  think,  nor  did  any  one  else,  that  soon  one  was 
to  be  taken,  and  the  other  left.  Bro.  Coliyer  and  wife 
embarked  a  few  weeks  after  our  departure,  but  on  the 
way,  out  at  sea,  Jesus  came  and  took  him  unto  Himself, 
to  be  with  Him  for  ever.  When  he  prayed  with  me  for 
the  last  time,  till  late  in  the  night,  for  the  life  of  my 
wife,  and  so  wonderfully  comforted  me,  I  thought  I  had 
never  seen  Bro.  C*so  strangely  filled  with  God.  It  was 
an  hour  in  heaven  as  we  talked  together,  and  the  will 
of  God  was  made  plain  to  me.  One  by  one  they  are 
passing  over.  How  long,  O  Lord  I  I  wait  for  Thy  ap- 
pearing. 


232  SIX  YEARS   WITH  "WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

I  now  skip  over  my  daily  notes  in  the  journal,  as  they 
would  be  of  no  interest  to  any  one,  being  of  almost 
continual  sea-sickness,  which  besides  kept  me  from  keep- 
ing it  perfectly.  However,  when  in  some  port,  I  felt 
all  right ;  or  when  passing  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  I 
had  hoped  there  to  see  some  of  the  natives  —  Patago- 
nians  or  Fuegians  —  but  the  weather  being  so  rough, 
none  dared  to  leave  the  dismal  shore  in  their  frail  crafts. 
Little  could  be  seen  of  the  rocks  or-  forests,  being  over- 
hung with  black  clouds  all  the  way  to  Sandy  Point  — 
the  last  Chilian  port  in  the  Straits. 

THE  METHODISTS  IN  URUGUAY  AND  THE  ARGEN- 
TINE REPUBLIC. 

From  there  we  had  a  pleasant  trip  to  Montevideo, 
Uruguay,  on  the  East  Coast.  Going  on  shore,  I  visited 
the  Methodist  Missions.  Rev.  Mr.  Wood  had  just  left 
for  the  States  on  some  business,  but  I  met  Mrs.  W.  and 
her  children.  She  seemed  an  excellent  lady,  and  full 
of  work.  I  spent  a  pleasant  hour  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Talon,  an  ordained  native  minister,  who  told  me  much 
concerning  the  work  in  the  city.  I  visited  the  church 
—  an  old  theatre  which  had  been  bgught  and  fitted  up 
for  an  M.  E.  Church.  It  will  seat  from  500  to  550  peo- 
ple. The  president  of  the  Republic,  a  Roman  Catholic, 
had  contributed  towards  fitting  up  the  chapel.  At  a 
recent  meeting  held  there,  110  natives  stood  up,  testify- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  233 

ing  for  Christ ;  five  of  that  number  were  students  of 
the  Buenos  Ayres  University  (Argentine  Republic), 
who,  after  they  graduate,  intend  to  enter  the  ministry 
of  the  M.  E.  Church.  There  I  found,  also,  an  exten- 
sive temperance  work  in  progress,  —  a  lodge  of  Good 
Templars,  numbering  about  150  members.  Mrs.  Wood 
had  also  a  juvenile  temperance  lodge,  numbering  sixty 
boys  and  girls.  A  temperance  boarding-house  had  been 
opened  in  connection  with  the  lodge,  which  also  paid 
twenty  dollars  per  month  towards  the  rent  of  the  build- 
ing. Three  day-schools  existed  in  connection  with  the 
Mission,  and  GOO  children  were  taught  in  them.  Five 
hundred  of  the  number  attend  the  Sabbath-school. 
Much  pleased  with  my  visit,  I  returned  on  board  and 
then  read  Bishop  Simpson's  sermon,  which  he  preached 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Ecumenical  Conference,  held  in 
London.  It  was  a  great  blessing  to  me. 

The  ship  left  in  the  evening  for  Rio  Janeiro.  We 
had  fine  weather  for  a  day,  but  then  this  terrible  sea- 
sickness would  come  again,  and  I  was  unable  to  attend 
the  service  Sunday  morning.  The  doctor  on  board  told 
me  it  was  very  "  nice,"  and  remarked,  "  people  are  get- 
ting more  educated  now,  and  the  clergy  are  at  last 
compelled  to  write  and  read  their  sermons  to  keep  them 
from  rambling." 


234  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

Rio  JANEIRO. 

At  10  A.  M.,  on  Monday,  we  arrived  in  the  harbor  of 
Rio  Janeiro  —  the  most  beautiful  harbor  in  the  world. 
Our  little  family  could  not  resist  the  magnetic  drawing 
toward  the  shore,  and  our  little  three-year  old  son 
clapped  his  little  hands  in  delight  when  I  told  him,  in 
English,  that  he  should  go  with  papa  and  mamma  and 
little  Herman  Harris  on  shore;  and  running  to  his 
mother,  he  told  her  in  German  what  I  had  said,  and 
broke  the  glad  news  to  his  two-year  old  brother  in 
Spanish.  We  visited  Rev.  Bro.  Ransom,  of  the  M.  E. 
Mission  South.  They  did  good  work  in  Rio,  but  not 
to  the  same  extent  as  the  brethren  further  south.  The 
Methodists  have  a  mission  in  the  city,  and  another  in 
the  interior,  and  have  in  all  about  120  members.  The 
work  is  very  hard  here,  and  resembles  much  that  in 
Chili.  However,  they  have  a  good  school.  There 
is  also  a  Seamen's  Mission  here.  Our  chief  officer  was 
taken  sick  suddenly  while  in  the  harbor,  and  had  to  be 
left  in  the  hospital  on  shore,  and  the  ship  went  on  her 
journey  without  him.  He  died  soon  after ;  and  before  we 
reached  our  next  and  last  port  on  the  east  coast  of 
South  America  —  Bahia.  On  the  eighteenth  of  March 
we  crossed  the  equator,  and  met  five  ships  which  worked 
to  and  fro  on  the  little  waves,  apparently  not  moving  a 
foot  ahead.  There  was  a  dead  calm. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  235 

March  23,  we  entered  the  harbor  of  St.  Vincent, 
Cape  de  Verde  Islands.  Some  six  steamers  were  laying 
here,  —  French,  English,  German,  and  Italian,  taking  in 
coal. 

Thursday,  27th,  at  10  A.  M.,  we  sighted  Teneriffe, 
one  of  the  Canary  Islands. 

Saturday,  March  31,  dropped  our  anchor  in  the  Bay 
of  Lisbon,  or  rather  in  the  river.  Took  in  coal  and 
started  for  Bordeaux.  Across  the  Bay  of  Biscay  we 
had  the  finest  weather.  I  had  formed  the  acquaintance 
of  a  young  Roman  priest,  and  I  found  him  to  be  a  most 
amiable  companion  in  travel.  He  had  left  Lisbon 
because  he  had  suffered  some  persecution  on  account  of 
his  liberal  views  in  some  matters  of  religion.  He  was 
certainly  converted  to  God.  He  did  not  know  that  I 
was  a  Protestant  missionary,  and  he  spoke  the  more 
freely  to  me,  and  I  enjoyed  it  very  much  to  find  him 
resting  alone  in  Jesus.  However,  he  leaned  a  little  on 
the  doctrine  of  works.  Although  he  seemed  to  be  free 
from  anything  like  works  without  faith,  he  tried  a  little 
to  hold  up  his  church.  The  dear  man,  if  he  could  only 
cut  loose  from  everything  but  Jesus,  he  might  be  a 
useful  man  to  lead  sinners  to  repentance.  He  read  with 
much  interest  the  G-uide  to  Holiness,  and  "Line  and 
Plummet,"  and  "  Lessons  in  Holiness."  In  Bordeaux, 
my  friend,  the  priest,  went  on  shore. 


236         SIX  YEABS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

THIRTEEN  YEARS  AGO  AN  INFIDEL.  —  DAYS  OF 
POWER  IN  ENGLAND. 

9 

April  7  we  arrived  safely  in  Liverpool,  and  with  what 
feelings !  As  I  stepped  on  shore  with  my  dear  wife 
and  the  children,  I  drew  her  close  to  my  uide,  and  when 
I  was  able  to  speak,  I  said  to  her  :  "  Thirteen  years  ago 
I  arrived  in  this  city,  on  my  way  to  the  United  States  ; 
but  under  what  different  circumstances !  An  infidel, 
fighting  against  everything  that  was  good,  without  God 
and  without  hope.  I  had  never  touched  a  Bible."  My 
wife  understood  me,  and  silently  we  stepped  into  a 
coach  and  drove  to  the  hotel. 

The  following  day  I  presented  my  letters  of  introduc- 
tion to  an  English  gentleman  who  has  a  business  house 
in  Valparaiso,  and  who  did  much  to  help  us  in  establish- 
ing our  Sailors'  Home  there.  I  was  at  once  invited  to 
another  hotel  by  Mr.  B.,  and  after  taking  my  family 
over,  that  gentleman  called  on  me  and  informed  me 
that  Mr.  Moody  was  in  the  city  preaching.  I  was 
introduced  to  that  great  evangelist,  whom  I  had  longed 
to  see  and  to  hear.  I  was  asked  to  take  part  in  the 
work  of  the  inquiry  room,  and  I  had  occasion  to  see  the 
work  of  the  Lord  for  a  fortnight.  I  was  then  invited 
by  the  Church  of  England  Mission  to  Seamen  to  work 
for  a  time  in  Liverpool  among  the  seafaring  men.  I 
accepted  that  call,  and  labored  for  twelve  days,  and 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  237 

God  seemed  to  continue  here  the  work  just  left  off  in 
Valparaiso.  I  was  interviewed  by  the  managers  of  tho 
Mersey  Mission,  and  an  offer  was  made  me  to  enter  tho 
work  in  connection  with  that  Mission  and  remain  in 
Liverpool ;  but  I  would  not  accept  it.  My  wife  had 
had  bleeding  of  the  lungs,  and  on  consulting  the 
physicians  they  declared  %that  the  climate  here  would 
be  injurious  to  her,  and  we  had  better  leave  for  Germany 
at  once.  Many  precious  souls  were  converted  during 
the  four  weeks  of  our  stay  in  Liverpool.  Praise  God 
for  His  blessings  ! 

I  was  invited  to  preach  in  a  Baptist  Church  —  to 
preach  on  holiness.  After  preaching,  I  invited  those 
in  the  audience  who  wanted  a  clean  heart  "  now,"  and 
while  the  congregation  was  singing  a  hymn,  to  come 
into  the  Sunday-School  room,  and  I  told  them  I  would 
remain  there  on  my  knees  praying  for  such  until  the 
room  was  full.  I  gave  out  the  hymn,  and  then  stepped 
down  from  the  pulpit,  and  entered  the  small  room  back 
of  the  main  hall.  Then  I  knelt  in  prayer,  and  as  the 
last  notes  of  the  hymn  had  passed  away,  the  door 
opened  and  twenty-two  persons,  men  and  women, 
entered  the  room,  and  knelt  all  about  me.  Now  the 
praying  began, —  one  after  another  prayed  for  them- 
selves. Then  were  confessions  made,  pardon  asked, 
and  prayers  for  clean  hearts  rose  to  God.  It  was 
remarkable  how  clear  the  prayers  were.  They  evidently 


238  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

knew  what  they  wanted.  The  meeting  was  entirely 
beyond  human  control, —  the  Spirit  of  God  led  the 
meeting.  There  was  a  sure  basis  to  every  prayer,  and 
definitions  were  clear,  and  while  they  were  praying  and 
weeping,  there  was  no  confusion.  All  were  blessed, 
and  some  while  on  their  knees  gave  this  testimony  to 
the  saving  power  of  Jesus.  A  good  number  had  been 
reclaimed  from  backsliding,  others  had  been  converted, 
and  about  seven  testified  clearly  to  heart  purity.  It 
was  a  meeting  of  power  in  this  Baptist  Church.  I  trust 
the  blessed  work  will  go  on  after  I  leave.  The  pastor 
is  a  live  man,  but  a  great  "  dipper."  He  came  to  rny 
room  before  I  left  the  city,  and  said :  "If  I  accept  this 
salvation,  I  am  afraid  my  faith  as  a  Baptist  might  be 
shaken."  My  answer  was  simple:  "Dear  sir,  if  God 
has  given  you  light  as  to  your  own  soul's  salvation  in 
connection  with  this  requirement  of  '  holiness  unto  the 
Lord,'  be  sure  to  walk  up  to  and  in  that  light,  and 
whatever  God  will  tell  you  to  do  thereafter,  you  will 
know.  He  will  never  leave  you  nor  forsake  you.  I 
have  no  commandment  beyond  that  for  you."  He  left 
me  somewhat  sorrowful. 

Once  more  I  preached  at  the  Seamen's  Bethel,  in  the 
afternoon,  and  seven  men  were  happily  converted  to 
God.  There  were  present  at  that  meeting  about  fifty 
seamen.  When  about  to  leave  the  hall,  a  man  much 
addicted  to  drink,  came  to  me  and  wanted  to  sign  the 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  239 

pledge.  I  pointed  out  to  him  the  necessity  of  giving 
himself  to  Jesus.  He  promised  to  pray.  Just  then  a 
sailor  who  had  only  just  arrived  from  Bombay,  came 
and  desired  to  be  prayed  for  "right  now."  When  souls 
come  like  that,  they  shall  surely  find  a  ready  Saviour . 
and  he  also  was  converted  to  God  before  leaving  the 
room,  and  I  was  ready  to  remain  all  night,  if  necessary. 

In  another  place  where  I  had  collected  some-  men 
and  women,  God  so  wonderfully  blessed  the  word  that 
two  women  gave  their  hearts  to  Christ ;  another,  who 
had  said  before  the  meeting  began,  "  She  did  not  want 
Christ,"  was  melted  to  tears  by  what  she  saw ;  and 
being  convicted,  bewailed  her  own  sins  and  was  con- 
verted. 

The  day  before  leaving  Liverpool  for  Hamburg  was 
made  a  great  blessing  to  me.  I  was  invited  to  a  sick 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  who  lay  at  the 
"  Bethshan,"  a  faith-healing  hospital.  This  man,  I 
was  told,  had  been  afflicted  with  spinal  disease  for 
thirty-two  years,  and  had  not  been  able  to  preach, 
nearly  always  suffering  acute  pain,  and  unable  to  rise 
from  his  couch.  I  had  never  anything  to  do  with  faith- 
healing  before  this  date ;  but  when  I  was  confronted  by 
this  poor  suffering  brother,  and  after  consultation  with 
him,  he  desired  me  that  I  would  proceed  according  to 
the  word  in  James  —  to  anoint  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  —  and  then  added  that  he  believed 


240 

the  Lord  would  heal  him,  I  called  in  the  members  of 
the  household,  and  we  prayed.  Then  I  anointed  the 
brother  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  while  the  people  were 
praying.  The  sufferer  then  tried  to  stir,  but  was  wholly 
unable.  He  told  me  that  he  had  more  pains  to-day 
than  ever  before,  and  he  asked  us  to  leave  him,  for  he 
desired  to  be  alone  with  God  for  a  few  hours.  We 
retired.  As  I  separated  from  the  brethren  and  sisters, 
I  exhorted  them  to  pray.  There  was  a  meeting  to  be 
held  in  the  evening,  and  they  invited  me  to  attend.  I 
promised  them  to  be  present.  I  returned,  but  was  a 
little  too  late  ;  but  what  should  I  behold !  The  sick  man 
was  well,  and  had  just  opened  the  meeting  by  prayer, 
and  was  standing  on  his  feet.  "  Praise  God  !  "  I  cried, 
and  caught  his  hand.  "  Yes,  thanks  be  to  God,"  said 
the  brother,  "  God  has  done  wonderful  things  for  me." 
He  then  told  his  experience  in  the  meeting.  After  we 
had  left  his  room  in  the  afternoon,  he  prayed  to  God, 
and  said :  "  Yes,  Lord,  Thou  dost  heal  me  now  I  "  and 
he  sat  up  on  the  couch  without  any  difficulty.  Then 
he  put  one  foot  on  the  floor,  and  then  the  other,  and 
felt  no  pain,  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  I  suddenly  arose  and 
stood  on  my  feet,  and  clapping  my  hands,  I  praised 
God,  and  walked  across  the  floor  quite  without  pain  — • 
only  felt  a  general  weakness.  The  spinal  disease, 
however,  which  has  prostrated  me  these  thirty-two 
years,  has  entirely  disappeared."  This  was  the  Lord's 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA..  241 

doing,  and  it  was  wonderful  in  our  eyes.  (In  1884,  since 
my  return  to  Chili  the  second  time,  I  received  a  letter 
in  which  this  brother  says :  "  Dear  Bro.  K., —  Thanks  be 
to  God,  I  am  now  back  in  active  work,  and  able  to 
preach  twice  on  Sunday.  God  has  completely  healed 
me,  and  my  body  is  getting  stronger  every  day.  My 
heart  is  full  of  gratitude.  I  shall  print  a  tract  concern- 
ing my  deliverance,  and  spread  it  over  the  land.  Yours 
in  Jesus,  B.") 

May  2  we  started  for  London,  and  remained  two 
days  there.  On  the  street  I  met  with  so  many  seamen 
who  had  been  converted  in  Valparaiso,  it  seemed  as 
though  they  had  congregated  there.  I  was  taken  to 
some  of  the  Mission  Rooms  established  by  Miss  Weston, 
and  there  found  myself  surrounded  by  faces  that  I  had 
been  accustomed  to  see  in  South  America,  and  I  was 
so  highly  privileged  to  see  what  the  Lord  had  wrought 
in  the  hearts  of  those  men,  who  had  come  to  Valparaiso 
in  ships,  and  there,  and  on  the  way  home,  had  been 
converted  to  God.  I  felt  quite  at  home  there,  and 
preached  several  times,  and  some  were  converted  in 
each  meeting. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ACEOSS  THE  CHANNEL.  —  HOMEWARD  BOUND.—  THE 
REVIVAL  IN  GERMANY. 

SUNDAY,  the  6th  of  May,  we  were  crossing  the  Chan- 
nel on  board  the  little  steamer  Martin,  and  here  I  wish 
to  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  my  journal.  I 
wish  to  copy  the  few  lines  following,  from  my  journal, 
as  I  wrote  them  down  on  the  morning  of  that  memor- 
able day.  I  hope  it  may  help  some  one.  May  the  dear 
Lord  sustain  me  while,  with  a  bleeding  heart,  I  write 
down  what  now  befell  us,  and  God  permitted  to  come 
upon  us. 

HEAVIEST  TRIALS  AND  BRIGHTEST  SUNSHINE. 

"Pentecost  Day. — I  pray  for  a  special  outpouring  of 
God's  Spirit  upon  my  soul  in  view  of  the  work  before 
ine.  But  in  what  wondrous  way  God  will  deal  with 
me,  I  do  not  know  now."  These  are  the  words  as  I 
copy  them.  This  was  done  in  the  morning.  Our  dear 
children  were  enjoying  themselves,  running  about  and 
playing  in  the  cabin.  Mamma  and  papa  were  sea-sick 
most  of  the  time,  but  it  did  not  affect  the  children  a 
moment.  It  was  6.15  p.  M.,  when  I  noticed  our  young- 
est child,  Herman  Harris,  two  years  old,  looked  tired, 

242 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  243 

and  was  hanging  Iris  little  head.  He  had  just  played 
•with  a  gentleman,  throwing  slips  of  paper  over  a  book 
he  was  reading,  as  he  reclined  on  the  sofa  in  the  cabin. 
I  thought  the  child  was  sleepy ;  so  I  went  up  to  where 
the  little  fellow  stood,  and  went  to  take  him  by  the 
hand  to  lead  him  to  his  bed,  when  he  began  to  vomit ; 
at  the  same  time  our  oldest  boy  came  running  to  me, 
also  vomiting.  I  supposed  them  to  be  seasick,  and  lead- 
ing them  back  to  the  cabin  where  their  mother  lay,  I 
said  to  her  in  a  laughing  way :  "  Here,  mamma,  our 
boys  are  sea-sick !  What  do  you  think  ?  "  Just  then 
Herman  dropped  his  head  on  his  shoulder,  and  my  wife, 
almost  screaming,  exclaimed:  "Oh,  just  see  how  he 
turns  his  eyes !  Give  him  to  me,  quick ! "  I  lifted  the 
boy  up  into  the  bed,  and  my  wife  received  him  into  her 
arms.  I  called  the  captain  and  the  stewardess  at  once. 
The  captain  just  looked  at  the  sick  boy,  and  said :  "  He 
has  the  diphtheria  —  the  worst  kind !  "  Thick  yellow 
slime  then  came  out  of  nose  and  mouth.  A  warm  bath 
with  mustard  was  quickly  prepared,  but  before  he  was 
put  into  the  water,  his  eyes  became  glassy,  his  head  and 
limbs  hung  lifeless.  Yes,  it  was  only  too  true — his 
spirit  had  fled.  I  held  in  my  arms  the  lifeless  body  of 
our  darling  boy.  Oh,  how  bitter !  His  merry  laugh, 
we  should  hear  it  no  more  forever ! 

I  copy  from  my  journal  again,  the  words  that  I  wrote 
after  the  death  of  our  darling:  — "  God  knows  best,  yeb, 


244  SIX  YEAES   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

my  soul  says,  God  knows  best  —  Father  knows  best  — 
He  doeth  all  things  well.  O  Lord,  my  Father,  I  kiss 
thy  hand  to-night,  for  Thou  can'st  do  but  that  which  is 
good !  Oh,  the  comfort  of  Thy  living  presence  !  Teach 
me  the  lesson  of  this  solemn  hour,  my  God  and  my  Fa- 
ther !  Oh,  the  power  of  Jesus !  Oh,  His  wondrous 
love  !  My  soul  is  saturated  with  His  love,  and  peace 
fills  my  heart — a  peace  that  floweth  like  a  river,  —  yes, 
saturated  with  Thy  love,  O  God !  Praises  belong  to 
Thee  I " 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  following  day  —  Monday, 
the  fifth,  —  we  arrived  in  Hamburg.  Our  boy  had 
been  lying  in  a  state-room ;  from  time  to  time  during 
the  night  I  would  go  and  kneel  beside  the  corpse  and 
kiss  the  sweet  face  and  call  his  name.  At  times  it 
seemed  to  me  as  though  I  saw  his  breast  heave ;  but  it 
was  not  true,  he  had  gone  to  heaven.  I  cannot  under- 
stand to  this  day  how  he  was  taken  from  us ;  but  I 
know  and  say  this  :  God  took  him.  His  little  body  was 
laid  in  a  coffin  and  was  bedded  in  flowers,  then  he  was 
taken  on  shore.  My  wife  had  become  like  a  shadow  in 
appearance,  pale  and  care-worn.  I  durst  not  ask  her 
anything,  but  she  gave  me  to  understand  that  the  heavy 
hand  resting  on  her  was  the  hand  of  Omnipotence. 
Our  Eugene,  now  our  only  boy,  had  also  taken  sick,  and 
the  captain  had  told  us  to  send  for  a  good  physician  at 
once.  So  we  went  to  a  hotel  and  a  good  medical  man 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  245 

was  secured,  who  stated  that  the  throat  of  the  boy  was 
very  bad ;  but  he  might  recover.  What  did  God  desire 
to  do  with  us  ? 

Tuesday  morning. —  Our  Eugene  is  getting  worse,  and 
the  Dr.  thinks  an  operation  is  necessary.  In  the  after- 
noon the  body  of  our  youngest  child  was  committed  to 
the  earth.  At  12  p.  M.,  Eugene  was  taken  to  the  hos- 
pital of  one  of  the  best  physicians  of  Hamburg,  who 
would  perform  the  operation.  It  was  successful,  and 
the  following  day  we  were  permitted  to  see  our  child. 
Oh,  what  prayer  arose  to  God!  Only  One  can  under- 
stand, in  this  hour  of  bitter  trial,  the  language  of  our 
hearts,  and  to  Him  we  go  and  wait,  sitting  at  His  feet 
and  looking  into  His  blessed  face,  watching  any  sign  as 
to  what  He  will  decide.  Sweetest  comfort  and  sweet- 
est assurance,  shined  from  the  face  of  the  Son  of  God, 
into  our  poor  smitten  hearts,  and  we  said :  "  As  Thou 
wilt,  Lord."  More  we  were  not  able  to  say ;  but  we 
wept,  yes,  bitterly  we  wept.  As  my  poor  wife  held  the 
cliild  she  loved  so  much,  in  her  arms,  we  did  scarcely 
recognize  him.  Then  the  Dr.  came  and  told  us  we 
must  go.  One  last  kiss,  one  last  look  upon  our  last 
hope,  and  we  left.  We  had  just  arrived  at  the  hotel, 
when  a  messenger  arrived  about  the  same  time,  who 
brought  the  news  that  this,  our  sweet  boy,  had  also  de- 
parted out  of  the  world,  soon  after  we  left  his  bedside. 


246          SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

MY  CHILDREN  BOTH  GONE  TO  BE  WITH  JESUS. 

I  now  draw  a  curtain.  We  want  to  be  alone  and 
shut  out  the  world  from  this  scene  of  our  grief,  —  alone 
with  God, — to  be  still,  and  drink,  and  drink,  and  drink, 
to  cool  our  parching  tongues,  and  satisfy  the  longing  of 
our  souls,  at  the  fountain.  "  They  shall  never  come 
back  to  us ;  but  we  shall  go  to  them."  Yet,  whom 
have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee  ?  As  the  sad  news  came  to 
us,  I  pressed  her,  who  alone  was  left  to  me  on  earth,  to 
my  aching  heart.  Our  eyes  met,  and  once  more  these 
words  burst  from  our  lips:  "They  shall  never  come 
back  to  us,  but  we  shall  go  to  them."  "  The  Lord  has 
given ;  the  Lord  has  taken  away ;  blessed  be  the  name 
of  the  Lord." 

Friday,  May  11,  our  Eugene  was  buried  —  sleep- 
ing in  flowers,  which  he  loved  so  much  when  in 
life.  He  had  been  a  sweet  boy.  How  often  did  he 
throw  aside  his  playthings,  and  running  in,  he  would 
take  his  mamma's  hand,  and  leading  her  into  the  parlor, 
he  would  say :  "  Now,  mamma,  come  pray  with  me," 
and  he  prayed  for  such  as  he  had  met  through  the  day, 
and  then  closed  with,  "  God  bless  papa !  God  bless 
mamma !  Amen !  "  He  has  gone  to  be  a  jewel  in  the 
crown  of  our  Redeemer.  My  wife  had  asked  him  be- 
fore the  operation  took  place :  "  Will  you  go  away  ? " 
"  Yes,  mamma,  I  shall  go."  Then,  awaking,  he  said  (in 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  247 

German)  :  "  Hallelujah !  God,  my  Father  ! "  We  had 
never  used  just  these  words  in  his  presence,  so  far  as  we 
can  remember,  and  they  startled  us  when  we  heard 
them  from  his  lips.  The  death  of  our  darling,  —  was 
it  necessary  ?  I  think  not ;  but  the  Lord  certainly  per- 
mitted it.  May  all  redound  to  His  glory ! 

The  following  Sunday  night  I  passed  through  a  won- 
derful experience.  Oftentimes  during  the  night  I 
awoke  out  of  sleep,  and  found  myself  clapping  my 
hands  and  praising  God  aloud.  My  wife  was  wonder- 
fully sustained.  We  were  swallowed  up  of  life. 

May  12,  we  left  Hamburg,  and  arrived  soon  at  the 
home  of  my  aged  father ;  but  as  he  looked  about  him 
to  see  the  grandchildren,  we  had  to  tell  him :  "  They 
have  gone  to  heaven.  You  cannot  see  them  now." 

AT  THE  GRAVE  OF  MY  SAINTED  MOTHER. 

May  19,  we  visited  the  grave  of  my  dear  mother. 
Oh,  how  I  should  have  loved  to  meet  her  on  earth ! 
When  eleven  years  ago  Jesus  saved  my  soul,  I  sat  down 
and  wrote :  —  "  Dear  Mother,  —  Your  boy  has  found 
Jesus."  When  she  died,  she  said:  "If  only  my  boy 
could  be  here !  "  As  I  stood  at  the  grave,  once  more 
the  past  rose  up  before  me,  and  I  wept  there.  I  saw  a 
single  forget-me-not  on  the  grave,  and  I  plucked  it. 
Then  I  turned  away,  but  I  felt  in  my  soul,  and  con- 
fessed with  my  mouth :  "  We  shall  meet  beyond  the 
river  by  and  by.  We  have  anchors  over  there." 


248  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

I  visited  then  the  old  church  where  I  had  been  con- 
firmed—  not  knowing  Jesus  the  Saviour;  but  now, 
what  a  contrast !  then  a  sinner  lost  through  sin ;  now  a 
sinner  saved  through  grace — made  a  minister  and  a 
witness  for  Jesus.  As  I  stood  on  the  spot  where  I  had 
bowed  my  head  seventeen  years  ago  to  receive  the  bless- 
ing pronounced  upon  me  by  the  officiating  minister,  it 
brought  up  to  my  view  the  moment  when  Bishop  Harris 
laid  his  hands  upon  me,  and  ordained  me  an  elder  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  Church  I  had 
found  my  Saviour  and  Redeemer.  These  remem- 
brances of  the  past  were  a  balm  to  my  soul,  and  my 
dear  wife  understood  me  so  well,  and  with  tearful  eyes, 
but  thankful  heart,  she  praised  the  gyod  Redeemer's 
love.  God  is  good. 

I  received  an  invitation  now  to  come  to  Berlin,  from 
Count  B.  and  Count  P.,  to  open  evangelistic  services 
and  preach  to  the  masses  of  the  unconverted,  and  for 
that  purpose  rent  halls,  theatres,  and  such  places,  easy 
of  access  to  the  people.  I  accepted  the  invitation,  and 
we  started  for  Berlin  on  the  second  of  June. 

PREACHING  nsr  BERLIN. 

The  first  meeting  was  attended  by  350  persons,  in  a 
hall  which  was  formerly  used  for  dancing ;  but  had  been 
bought  by  Christian  workers  for  Christian  work.  The 
plan  of  the  inquiry-room  was  here  adopted,  but  few 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  249 

persons  could  be  induced  to  come;  however,  my  private 
dwelling  was  crowded.  Seekers  of  pardon  and  purity 
came  to  my  room  day  by  day,  and  the  work  of  salva- 
tion began  at  once.  Several  were  converted  after  the 
first  meeting,  and  the  outlook  was  favorable.  A  woman 
came  to  my  house,  who  had  been  trying  hard  to  get 
peace  by  attending  all  the  means  of  grace  regularly; 
but  had  never  succeeded.  But  now  she  sought  forgive- 
ness of  sin,  and  abhorred  it.  Meetings  were  now  ar- 
ranged for,  and  two  meetings  appointed  each  day  at 
3  P.  M.,  and  8  A.  M.,  and  in  different  parts  of  the  city. 
Suitable  halls  were  rented  to  accommodate  from  300  to 
800  persons.  The  halls  were  always  filled  with  anxious 

hearers. 

THE  POWER  OF  LOVE. 

A  lady  came  to  me  in  great  distress,  and  having  heard 
a  sermon  on  holy  living,  desired  to  be  made  clean.  She 
was  determined  not  to  leave  the  room  without  the  clean 
heart.  She  said  she  had  a  wayward  daughter,  who 
would  seek  unfit  company,  and  go  out  dancing.  She 
had  tried  everything,  and  also  scolded  her  often,  and 
nothing  would  help.  I  had  no  doubt  about  it;  but 
when  the  mother  left  the  house,  praising  the  Lord  for  a 
clean  heart,  she  said :  "  Pray  for  my  daughter."  A  few 
days  after  the  interview,  the  same  woman  stood  up  in  a 
meeting  and  told  what  God  had  done  for  her  and  her 
daughter:  "I  thank  God  He  has  given  me  a  clean 


250  SIX   YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

heart,  and  has  taken  away  this  bad  temper  which  I  used 
to  have.  I  often  wondered  why  I  could  do  nothing  for 
my  daughter ;  but  to-day  I  know.  Yesterday  she  did 
not  come  home  till  late,  but  I  sat  up  and  waited  for  her. 
I  felt  I  loved  my  daughter  as  I  never  had  before.  I 
had  kept  her  supper  warm  —  a  thing  I  never  thought 
of  before,  and  I  prayed  until  she  came.  Opening  the 
door  for  her,  I  invited  her  to  sit  down,  and  I  spread  the 
table,  and  placed  before  her  something  to  eat.  I  sat 
opposite  to  her.  My  daughter  could  not  eat ;  she  put 
down  her  knife  and  fork,  and  hiding  her  face  in  her 
hands,  wept  bitterly.  I  then  got  up,  and  putting  my 
arm  around  her,  kissed  her.  She  then  looked  at  me, 
and  said :  '  Mother,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  I 
cannot  bear  this.'  '  My  dear  girl,  God  has  filled  my 
heart  with  love ' ;  and  we  got  on  our  knees  together, 
and  she  gave  her  heart  to  God.  She  could  stand  all 
my  scolding  and  talking  for  years,  but  she  could  not 
stand  against  love.  Oh  praise  God  for  a  baptism  of 
love ! " 

Sunday,  July  29,  the  Lord  so  powerfully  blessed  the 
preaching  of  the  word,  that  the  people  could  not  leave 
the  room,  but  where  they  sat  they  knelt  and  prayed,  so 
that  I  was  compelled  to  have  an  after-meeting,  notwith- 
standing the  opposition  on  the  part  of  my  friends,  who 
called  me  to  the  work.  We  could  not,  possibly,  throw 
the  seekers  out  of  the  hall.  The  Germans  here  are 


IN  SOUTH    AMERICA.  2">1 

much  afraid  of  anything  that  looks  Methodistic,  or  is 
indicative  of  excitement ;  and  the  work  is  somewhat 
hard  under  the  circumstances.  But  the  Lord  is  leading:, 

O" 

as  in  this  case  to-night.  A  prostitute  was  converted  to 
God,  and  afterward  entered  an  institution  to  become  a 
worker  for  God.  A  man  and  wife  sought  pardon  and 
were  blessed,  and  one  sister  found  the  clean  heart.  The 
word  of  God  spread  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Souls 
were  saved  every  day,  and  at  every  meeting  that  was 
held.  The  Sankey  hymns,  translated  into  German,  had 
a  wonderful  effect  on  the  people,  and  they  fell  in  love 
with  them.  In  each  meeting  I  taught  them  some  new 
hymns,  and  they  learned  surprisingly  fast.  It  put  new 
fire  into  our  service,  and  hardened  sinners  were  con- 
victed for  sin  and  came  confessing  their  sins.  With 
most  of  those  who  were  converted,  I  had  an  opportuni- 
ty to  converse,  as  they  came  to  my  house  and  room,  and 
there  prayed  with  me. 

A  REMARKABLE  FEATURE. —  CONFESSION  OF  SINS. 

Something  in  this  work  was  comparatively  new  to 
me ;  it  was  that  those  who  came  to  me  felt  that  they 
must  confess  their  sins,  no  matter  what  they  were,  and  in 
each  case  I  saw  them  entering  the  blessing  of  pardon  or 
heart  purity.  I  had  those  who  kept  back  their  sins  for 
hours,  and  were  not  relieved  until  they  confessed.  It 
was  terrible  how  Satan  had  precipitated  souls  into  sin 


252  SIX  YEARS  WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

and  vice  in  this  great  city.  Crimes  of  all  sorts  were 
shamelessly  committed  by  males  and  females,  but  the 
power  of  God  was  so  revealed  to  their  souls,  that,  bro- 
ken up  and  in  tears,  they  would  often  come  from  the 
streets,  and  confessing  their  sins,  obtain  pardon  from 
God.  In  this  way,  liars,  thieves,  burglars  and  pick- 
pockets, and  prostitutes;  came  and  found  peace,  and  I 
could  easily  see  which  conversions  were  genuine,  and 
which  were  not.  The  struggle  seemed  fearful  in  some 
cases,  so  that  it  was  very  trying  work  to  me,  because  of 
the  feeling  of  sympathy  that  would  go  out  from  me  for 
them ;  but  the  Lord  gave  me  strength  for  that  kind  of 
work,  and  blessed  me  much  in  preaching — plain  preach- 
ing. I  seemed  to  have  to  do  with  the  offscouring  of 
society,  and  they  came  to  Jesus. 

A  lady  came  convicted  for  sin.  She  said:  "I  am 
so  fond  of  dancing  and  the  theatre,  and  the  concert- 
garden  ;  and  last  night  God  brought  me  to  see  my  sins. 
The  devil  told  me  I  could  never  ^ive  up  the  world, 
and  that  the  Christian  life  is  a  hard  life  ;  but  I  come  to 
confess  my  sins  and  receive  forgiveness  for  Jesus' 
sake.  I  believe  Christ  will  save  me  and  keep  me." 

I  had  now  established  private-house  meetings  in 
many  families.  Those  who  were  converted  led  the 
meetings,  and  such  as  had  been  convicted,  not  only 
came  to  my  house,  but  attended  these  meetings,  which 
were  held  every  afternoon,  in  different  parts  of  the 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  253 

city,  —  these,  answering  in  a  measure  for  the  inquiry- 
room,  and  were  the  means  of  doing  incalculable  good ; 
many  being  converted  to  God,  and  believers  built  up, 
and  there  these  souls  were  taught  to  confess  their  Sav- 
'iour  and  pray  in  public.  These  meetings  became  so 
popular  that,  in  order  that  this  blessed  work  might  be 
extended,  separate  organizations  took  place.  These 
were  young  ladies'  meetings,  women's  meetings,  and 
meetings  for  men,  and  in  these  meetings  we  had  con- 
versions daily. 

A  DAUGHTER  BRINGS  HOME  HER  WANDERING 
PARENTS. 

One  young  lady  who  had  given  herself  over  to  the 
world  was  brought  to  Christ,  and  her  mother  tells  me 
the  following :  "  My  daughter  came  home  after  one  of 
the  meetings,  and  I  saw  her  manner  had  altered.  When 
supper  was  served  she  sat  down  at  the  table  and  wept. 
I  then  spoke  to  her,  thinking  she  was  ill.  She  kissed 
me  and  her  father,  and  begged  us  to  permit  her  to  ask 
the  blessing  at  the  table,  and  after  supper  she  took  up 
our  old  Bible,  which  had  not  been  used  for  years,  and 
we  had  family  worship.  She  read  and  prayed.  Oh, 
how  I  bless  God  that  my  daughter  has  found  the  Sav- 
iour !  it  has  been  the  means  of  bringing  us  to  Christ ." 
Thus  may  a  daughter  confess  Jesus  in  the  family,  sun  I 
God  will  honor  it,  as  in  this  case.  When  Peter  was 


254  SIX  YEAES   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

ashamed  of  Jesus,  lie  fell;  when  he  confessed  the  Sav- 
iour, he  was  blessed.  "  Blessed  art  thou  !  "  thus  Christ 
pronounced  the  blessing  upon  the  apostle,  and  upon 
this  confession  He  will  build  His  church. 

While  in  Berlin,  the  people  among  themselves  collect- 
ed the  money  to  pay  the  rents  of  our  halls,  which  were 
hired  for  preaching  ;  and  never  was  I  in  debt,  although 
the  rents  were  often  high.  The  self-supporting  plan 
worked  here,  as  well  as  in  Chili,  and  I  believe  it  does 
the  same  in  all  the  world.  I  had  never  to  ask  for  any 
help  —  it  came  in  according  to  our  needs.  The  redeem- 
ed of  the  Lord  collected  money  in  the  private  meetings, 
and  putting  it  in  an  envelope,  sent  it  to  me,  or  hid  it  in 
my  Bible,  or  in  some  way  made  me  the  recipient  with- 
out my  knowing  whence  it  came.  One  day  I  found  $15 
between  the  leaves  of  my  Bible.  -Some  one,  prompted 
by  the  Spirit,  had  placed  it  there.  Others  made  it  a 
rule  to  send  a  certain  sum  every  month ;  but  in  such 
cases  I  would  know  only  the  person  that  gave  me  the 
collection,  in  case  it  was  handed  to  me  in  person.  Our 
expenses  were  high  while  we  lived  in  Berlin,  for  we 
were  compelled  to  board;  but  after  paying  our  bill 
every  month,  there  was  always  some  "  oil "  left  in  the 
cruise.  We  never,  at  any  time,  ran  dry. 

A  mother  came  to  pray  with  me  for  her  lost  daughter. 
She  had  been  away  for  two  years.  I  wrote  a  note  in 
my  journal,  and  the  date  on  which  prayer  was  made. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  255 

Three  days  after,  the  mother  came  with  a  letter  in  hand, 
and  while  the  tears  of  joy  flowed  freely,  she  read  it  to 
me.  The  lost  daughter  had  written  and  asked :  "  Dear 
mother,  will  you  forgive  your  daughter  that  has  grieved 
you  so  much,  since  God  has  been  merciful  to  me,  and 
has  forgiven  me  ?  and  may  I  come  home  ?  "  I  asked 
this  woman :  "  And  what  will  you  tell  her  ?  "  "  Oh, 
that  I  forgive  her,  of  course,  and  to  come  home  at 
once !  "  Is  not  this  the  Father's  way,  if  a  poor  sinner 
comes  ?  Of  course  He  will  forgive,  and  is  waiting  for 
the  weary  one  to  come  home.  Is  not  the  parable  of  the 
prodigal  verified  in  thousands  of  households  all  over 
the  world,  and  is  God  not  true  ?  Another  lady  had  ta- 
ken a  sister,  who  was  entirely  given  to  the  world,  to  the 
meetings.  She  was  happily  converted  while  listening 
to  the  preaching,  while  she  who  had  brought  her  there, 
was  not  converted.  She  thought  herself  already  "  good," 
and  Avhen  she  saw  the  joy  of  her  sister,  there  was  a 
strange  feeling  of  jealousy  manifested,  and  the  poor 
girl  seemed  quite  hardened  after  that.  But  God  kept 
the  saved  one.  Every  day,  now,  I  received  one  or  more 
letters  from  such  as  had  accepted  the  Saviour  at  their 
homes ;  and  these  letters  were  above  a  hundred,  ring- 
ing with  the  sweetest  testimonies.  However,  some 
there  were  who  felt  to  confess  the  Lord  by  letter,  and 
were  afraid  to  confess  because  of  "  friends  "  (?) 


SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

ASHAMED  OF  CHRIST. 

In  the  meetings  I  spoke  to  such,  or  rather,  about 
such,  not  mentioning  names,  of  course;  telling  them 
God  would  not  honor  such  a  confession,  and  that  they 
had  better  throw  off  the  bushel,  or  else  they  might  soon 
go  back  to  the  world.  Ashamed  of  Christ !  There 
are  many  who  would  like  to  "  permit "  Christ  to  save 
them  from  their  dirty  sins,  but  they  will  have  hard 
times.  They  would  very  much  like  to  be  His  servants, 
but  not  wear  the  livery.  Ashamed  of  the  livery  of 
heaven !  yet  they  will  go  on  wearing  a  mask,  and  every- 
body knows.  Thousands  are  outside,  weeping  like  Pe- 
ter, and  thousands  have  dried  their  tears,  and  are  not 
returned,  —  they  find  out  that  to  retain  salvation,  means 
to  "  confess  Christ." 

A  sister  came  to  see  me.  She  was  full  of  joy,  and 
said:  "I  thought  you  should  be  partaker  of  my  joy, 
and  so  I  tell  you  that  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  has  forgiv- 
en me  all  my  sins."  What  a  sweet  sound  confession  is. 
We  were  both  blessed,  and  while  talking,  a  young  man 
came  in  and  stood  weeping.  He  was  hungering  and 
thirsting  for  Christ.  "  All  this  week,"  he  said,  "  I  have 
been  in  this  condition,  and  the  enemy  has  kept  me  from 
coming  to  speak  with  you ;  but  I  thank  God  that  I  am 
here.  Will  you  pray  with  me  ?  "  We  then  prayed,  and 
the  poor  lost  one  prayed,  and  found  his  Christ  before 
leaving  the  room. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  257 

An  infidel  came  to  the  night  meeting,  and  afterwards 
came  to  ask  for  a  Bible  "for  his  wife"(?)  With  a 
prayer  to  God  to  bless  the  reading  of  the  word  to  his 
own  soul,  a  copy  was  given  to  him.  Three  souls  were 
converted  in  the  meeting.  A  woman  who  once  had 
loved  the  Lord,  came  back  to  God  after  long  years  of 
bitter  life.  She  said :  "  I  married  an  ungodly  man,  but 
at  the  time,  I  thought  he  might  be  converted;  but  I  was 
bitterly  disappointed,  and  gradually  I  have  fallen  back 
myself.  Soon  I  was  no  better  than  he.  Thank  God !  I 
am  saved  now."  A  young  lady  has  no  business  to  let 
herself  go  so  far  as  to  love  an  ungodly  man,  enough  to 
marry  him.  God's  girls  need  to  move  up  closer  to 
Jesus  when  they  find  it  out,  and  pray  for  deliverance  — 
either  in  the  conversion  of  the  man,  or  the  sanctification 
of  their  own  hearts;  for  surely  there  is  something 
wrong,  because  God  does  not  agree  with  us.  2  Cor.  vi. 
14,  and  1  Cor.  xi.  30.  Then  these  poor,  deceived  souls, 
think  they  "backslide,"  while  really,  they  have  not 
"  slid  forward  "  in  time  of  their  greatest  need.  Some 
have  waited  till  their  husbands  or  wives  died,  and  then 
were  converted.  So  in  the  case  of  this  woman.  They 
look  back  upon  the  lost  years  —  a  wasted  life  —  and  the 
last  snuff  of  an  expiring  candle  is  offered  to  the  Lord. 
When  Joshua  was  commanded  to  lead  the  children  of 
Israel  over  Jordan,  he  was  told  to  observe  the  law  of 
God.  "  Turn  not  thou  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  thiit 


258  SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

thou  inayest  prosper  whithersoever  thou  goest."  It 
pays  to  take  time  to  consult  the  word  of  God.  A  mo- 
ment with  God  saves  us  an  eternity  of  misery  and  re- 
morse. 

After  one  of  the  evening  meetings,  my  soul  was  much 
burdened  for  certain  ones  whom  I  knew  to  be  convict- 
ed ;  and  coming  home,  I  could  not  eat  nor  drink,  and  in 
the  morning  I  felt  the  same.  And  so  I  bowed  in  prayer, 
and  knew  that  I  should  remain  there,  fasting  and  pray- 
ing, and  said :  "  Father,  I  cannot  arise  until  the  door 
opens  and  these  precious  souls  come  in.''  I  knelt  there 
until  10  o  'clock,  A.  M. ;  then  all  was  bright  and  clear. 
The  burden  had  rolled  away,  and  I  could  only  praise 
God,  but  still  on  my  knees.  Then  I  heard  the  bell  ring- 
ing, and  there  were  two ;  but  not  only  they  who  had  been 
long  convicted,  but  others  came  and  sought  the  Lord. 
After  the  first  two,  others  followed,  and  all  that  day 
men  and  women  came  and  went.  A  wonderful  day  I 
Some  had  been  too  troubled  the  night  before  to  go  to 
sleep,  and  in  the  morning  they  could  find  no  peace  until 
they  sought  it  at  Jesus'  feet. 

At  a  meeting  in  the  afternoon,  at  3.30,  three  souls  re- 
mained in  the  hall  and  were  converted,  and  four  more 
at  another  meeting  at  six  o  'clock,  before  the  preaching 
service  in  the  large  hall.  A  man  living  in  adultery 
came,  and,  confessing  his  sin,  obtained  forgiveness.  The 
following  day  he  brought  his  poor,  unhappy  wife,  who 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  259 

had  almost  despaired  of  ever  being  happy  any  more,  and 
then  it  seemed  as  if  new  life  had  entered  their  souls,  and, 
like  as  twenty  years  ago,  when  they  knelt  at  the  altar 
together,  a  purer  and  a  nobler  union  was  established 
between  them.  Yes,  the  life  of  Christ  was  theirs  from 
that  moment.  (Since  my  return  to  South  America,  I 
received  a  letter  from  this  family.  They  established  a 
weekly  meeting  at  their  house,  and  to  this  day  it  is  kept 
up,  and  God  blesses  them  in  the  work  of  winning  souls.) 

THE  EXPERIENCE  OF  A  DRESSMAKER. 

A  dressmaker  who  had  received  money  from  many 
ladies  to  put  "  extras  "  on  dresses,  which  "  mother ' '  did 
not  order,  and  who  in  many  cases  confessed  that  the 
money  had  been  obtained  under  rather  doubtful  circum- 
stances, was  so  troubled  about  receiving  such  money, 
that  after  hearing  the  word,  she  must  confess  her  sins 
to  God,  and  was  happily  converted.  She  said  then: 
"  My  work  is  all  among  the  better  class  ;  but,  oh,"  said 
she,  "  you  would  be  surprised  how  many  of  the  most 
refined  daughters  of  the  best  families  commit  this  sin, 
and  I  believe  mothers  themselves,  who  wish  so  much 
that  their  daughters  may  look  nice  and  neat,  train 
them  to  steal  money  out  of  father's  or  mother's  pocket- 
book  ;  and  they  do  not  suspect  at  all  what  harm  they 
are  doing  by  encouraging  fashion."  I  do  not  doubt  it 
a  moment.  Does  it  not  remind  one  of  the  "  chain-gang  " 


SIX  YEAHS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

already,  to  hear  the  tinkling  of  arm-bands  of  to-day  on 
the  wrists  of  the  fair  daughters  of  the  land.  This 
woman  gave  back  the  money  she  had  of  late  received. 
The  parties  were  ashamed  and  thunderstruck  by  her 
simple  testimony  for  Jesus,  and  she  lost  her  customers ; 
but  she  told  me  she  got  so  much  to  do,  as  to  occupy 
her  all  day.  Others  had  been  sending  her  work  who 
would  not  steal  from  their  fathers  and  mothers. 

SNATCHED  FROM  THE  BURNING. 

A  poor  girl,  who  was  persecuted  by  a  German  baron, 
came  bitterly  weeping,  to  seek  the  Saviour.  She  had 
just  heard  God's  word,  and  it  fastened  in  her  heart  like 
an  arrow ;  and  when  the  tempter  came,  she  fled  from 
him.  She  could  not  sleep  all  the  night  following.  She 
could  but  weep.  God  had  preserved  her  from  a  dreadful 
fall.  She  came  in  the  morning  and  said  :  "  I  must  pray 
with  you.  I  must  find  my  Saviour  this  morning."  I 
pitied  her  as  she  wept.  It  seemed  there  was  something 
so  dreadful  about  her  trouble,  and  she  manifested  a 
dread  to  leave  the  room,  and  she  would  say  :  "  I  cannot 
go  on  the  street  without  my  Saviour :  no,  I  will  not !  I 
will  not !  I  must  have  Christ !  "  I  said :  "  Tell  me 
what  is  in  the  way.  You  must  be  calm  for  a  moment, 
and  look  to  Christ,  and  He  will  save  your  soul,  and 
your  tormenting  fears  will  all  be  gone."  She  sat  down 
and  seemed  calm  for  a  few  minutes,  and  she  said :  "  Ho 


IX   SOUTH  AMERICA.  261 

will  come  back  again  to-day,  and  I  see  my  awful  sinful- 
ness  and  weakness.  I  must  be  God's  this  moment." 
She  had  become  quite  calm,  and  I  could  speak  to  her. 
She  saw  now  clearly  what  she  wanted,  and  in  deep 
humiliation  she  lay  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  then  the 
peace  that  filled  her  soul  was  wonderful.  It  was 
pictured  on  her  face.  She  praised  God  for  salvation 
through  Christ.  I  met  this  person  afterwards,  and  she 
said  God  had  arranged  everything  wonderfully  for  her, 
and  had  spared  her  the  bitter  struggle  of  the  meeting 
she  had  anticipated  in  the  morning  of  her  deliverance. 
The  baron  had  fled  to  Italy,  involved  in  other  troubles. 
God  delivereth  the  poor  and  needy,  and  them  that  cry 
unto  Him.  Glory  be  to  God  forever  ! 

A  few  days  after  this  occurrence,  the  lady  brought 
her  sister  to  the  meetings,  and  she  was  converted  to 
God,  and  leads  a  young  ladies'  meeting.  Two  women 
came  to  me  for  prayer  and  salvation.  They  had  both 
lived  in  open  rebellion  against  God  and  the  laws  of  the 
country ;  but  eight  years  ago  they  had  heard  the  word, 
and  they  were  afraid  to  go  on  in  sin.  They  concluded  to 
leave  the  path  of  unrighteousness,  and  provide  honestly 
for  themselves  in  the  sight  of  man  and  God,  and  attend 
church  every  Sunday.  "  For  eight  years  we  have  been 
miserable,"  they  said,  "  our  conscience  smote  us  all  this 
time,  and  there  was  no  peace  within  us.  We  tried 
everything  to  do  right;  but  we  have  no  peace  with 


262  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

God.  We  have  attended  the  meetings  in  the  city,  and 
now  see  what  we  really  want.  We  must  be  born  again." 
I  prayed  with  them,  and  they  both  prayed  for  them- 
selves, and  before  leaving  me,  had  found  what  they  had 
not  found  in  all  the  eight  years  of  trying  to  work  out 
this  salvation,  when  nothing  was  "in"  to  "workout," — 
the  pardon  of  their  sin  and  the  cleansing  from  in- 
dwelling sin.  They  knew  all  about  the  "repression 
theory," —  they  had  tried  their  hand  at  that  these  many 
years,  and  I  could  easily  lead  them  immediately  from 
pardon  to  purity.  They  saw  their  privileges  in  Christ, 
and  accepted  Him  as  their  Justifier  and  Sanctifier  by 
faith. 

I  had  preached  on  Rom.  viii.  1.  The  following 
morning  the  postman  brought  me  two  letters  from  such  as 
had,  during  the  night,  at  home,  found  perfect  love,  and 
felt  constrained  to  confess  at  once  by  letter.  Another 
person  came  to  my  room,  arid  there  found  perfect  rest 
from  inbred  sin. 

A  mother  brought  her  two  children  and  a  friend,  all 
adults.  The  mother  stepped  into  an  adjoining  room  to 
pray  there  alone,  while  the  three  remained  with  me. 
Soon  light  came,  and  the  son  ran  to  meet  his  mother, 
and  kissing  her  affectionately,  cried  out:  "It  is  all 
right  now,  mother  !  I  am  saved  from  sin  !  "  So,  also, 
testified  the  other  two,  and  it  was  a  great  blessing  to 
my  own  heart  to  see  those  three  happy  souls,  just  saved, 


IX  SOUTH   AMERICA.  263 

and  a  mother  who  saw  her  children  brought  to  Christ. 
Also,  that  day,  I  received  twelve  letters  bringing  the 
glad  news  that  as  many  souls  had  found  the  Saviour. 

Sept.  6,  took  train  for  Z ,  East  Prussia,  to  hold  a 

ten  days'  meeting,  together  with  more  friends  from 
the  south  of  Germany. 

SATAN  ON  DEVELOPMENT. 

First  meeting,  two  souls  remained  after  the  meeting, 
and  were  converted  to  God.  They  were  man  and  wife. 
Both  had  stood  on  the  ground  of  "  development "  for 
years ;  but  found  they  had  not  developed  out  of  sin  yet, 
and  let  Christ  save  them.  Satan  likes  this  developing 
idea  very  much,  and  does  not  mind  it  if  a  person  only 
stays  there  a  good  long  time,  in  not  believing  that 
Christ  can  save  from  sin  "  now."  This  "  to-day," —  if 
he  could  only  scratch  it  out  of  the  Bible,  he  would  do 
good  business,  and  hell  would  enlarge  her  borders. 

The  meetings  at  Z were  of  great  good.  People 

from  far  and  near  attended  the  meetings,  and  these 
were  a  great  blessing  to  the  whole  community.  Many 
were  converted  to  God.  The  wife  of  a  clergyman 
could  not  find  forgiveness,  although  praying  with  tears 
and  in  great  agony.  I  discovered  that  she  would  not 
forgive  some  people  who  had  sinned  against  her  and 
her  husband,  speaking  evil,  and,  as  she  thought,  had 
neglected  him  in  a  severe  sickness.  So  God  could  not 


2G4  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

forgive    her.      She    went    away    sorrowful,    but    un- 
saved. 

Returning  to  Berlin,  the  meetings  were  continued. 
I  attended  a  lecture  given  by  an  infidel.  He  said  among 
other  foolish  things  concerning  the  development  of 
lower  life  into  higher  life :  "  The  eel  will  leave  his 
watery  bed  and  go  into  a  field  of  green  peas,  of  which 
he  is  very  fond,  and  thus  take  upon  him  the  nature  of 
a  snake ;  or  the  robber-bee  goes  out  and  robs  the  bee- 
hives from  an  instinct,  trusting  to  make  an  easier  living, 
and  develop  a  higher  species  of  their  kind."  I  left  the 
place,  and  thought,  the  convicts  in  the  penitentiary 
would  not  agree  with  him  there.  With  them  it  has 
proved  only  true,  in  the  development  of  a  higher  species 
of  their  kind, —  robbers,  murderers,  etc.  But  as  man  ? 
Here  is  Christ,  who  can  save,  change  from  glory  to 
glory,  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. 

A  REMARKABLE  EXPERIENCE  IN  FASTING. 

A  man  who  had  developed  into  a  lower  species  of  his 
kind  through  drink,  was  brought  to  God,  and  in  tins 
wise :  A  woman  came  to  me  and  requested  prayer  for 
her  husband,  who  had  been  eight  years  a  drunkard.  I 
discovered  that  this  praying  wife  was  a  most  excellent 
Christian,  tried  in  the  fire  of  affliction ;  but  kept  humble, 
and  endued  with  wonderful  patience.  Patience  had  had 
her  perfect  work  in  her  in  the  highest  sense  of  the 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  2G5 

word.  Not  a  cross  word,  on  her  part,  with  her  husband 
all  these  years.  She  nursed  him  like  a  child,  and  cared 
for  him  as  a  wife  only  can,  and  yet  no  change.  \Ve 
prayed  for  the  poor  drunkard,  and  taking  up  the  Bible, 
I  read  to  the  woman :  "  This  cometh  not  out  but  by 
prayer  and  fasting."  She  looked  at  me  for  a  moment, 
and  I  told  her  it  had  just  occurred  to  me,  that  along 
with  the  prayers  there  was  another  way  opened,  and  as 
up  to  date  everything  had  failed,  then  the  Lord  opened 
a  way,  left  untried.  This  she  listened  to  eagerly.  '  She 
seemed  to  drink  in  every  word,  and  a  new  light  had 
dawned  upon  her.  Then  she  said :  "  But  how  will  I 
fast?  My  husband,  if  he  sees  I  will  not  eat  at  the 
table  with  him,  may  get  angry."  "  Dear  sister,"  I  said, 
"  I  would  not  dare  make  a  commandment  for  you,  and 
it  would  never  do  to  make  any  arrangement  with  me 
here  ;  but  you  go  to  your  home  and  pray,  and  let  God 
direct  you  about  it."  "  But  how  will  I  know  ?  "  "  Just 
go  now  and  you  shall  know.  God  will  remove  every 
doubt  about  the  matter,  if  this  be  the  way  for  you  to 
go."  She  left  me.  After  eight  days  she  came  back, 
and  looked  so  happy  and  fresh.  Her  eyes  were  not 
red,  and  the  careworn  look  was  not  upon  her  face.  She 
said :  u  My  soul  exalte th  God  for  His  wonderful  mercy. 
When  I  returned  home,  I  retired  and  prayed  much  to 
God  for  His  divine  direction  in  regard  to  my  husband, 
and  to  my  great  grief  he  came  home  that  night  iutoxi- 


266  SIX  YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOB 

cated,  and  in  the  morning  was  unable  to  rise,  lie  was 
sick.  It  had  now  become  clear  to  me  I  could  fast 
unhindered.  I  attended  him  all  day,  but  he  did  not 
speak  to  me.  When  dinner  came  I  fasted,  and  when 
supper  came  I  fasted ;  but  before  going  to  bed  I  felt 
sick,  and  oh,  so  faint !  I  craved  something  to  eat.  I 
knelt  down  in  prayer  for  my  husband,  and  while  plead- 
ing with  God,  I  received  a  baptism  which  I  had  not  had 
before,  and  when  I  arose  I  had  no  desire  for  food ;  and 
it  did  not  come  back,  although  I  fasted  all  the  next  day 
also,  even  not  taking  any  water  to  drink.  My  husband 
got  very  much  worse,  and  I  begged  him  to  send  for  a 
doctor ;  but  he  would  get  angry  when  I  mentioned  it 
to  him.  He  would  not  speak  to  me,  and  gave  me  no 
answer  to  anything  I  asked  him,  and  this  was  a  sore 
trial;  but  I  was  much  strengthened  in  prayer.  The 
third  day  came,  and  he  felt  very  sick,  and  I  still  fasted 
and  prayed.  I  knew  I  had  hold  of  Christ  for  my  hus- 
band, and  would  not  let  go  until  He  would  answer  me. 
That  day  I  knew  that  God  would  save  my  husband. 
When  evening  came  he  sent  for  me.  He  called  me  by 
name,  which  he  had  not  done  for  a  long  time.  I  had  to 
restrain  myself  to  keep  from  weeping.  I  sat  down  on 
the  bed,  and  stroked  his  burning  forehead.  He  took 
my  hand,  and  for  the  first  time  for  years  I  saw  him 
shedding  tears.  Then  he  asked  me  to  forgive  him ;  I 
knelt  down  beside  the  bed  and  held  his  dear  hand  in 


IN  SOUTH   AMEErCA.  267 

mine,  and  kissed  him.  I  forgave  him  e\crything  with 
all  my  heart.  He  then  said,  '  Oh  that  God  might  for- 
give me  ! '  Now  the  Lord's  time  had  come,  and  we 
prayed  together.  He  gave  up  the  cup  from  that  hour, 
and  we  are  happy  once  more,  after  eight  years  wander- 
ing. My  husband  is  happy,  and  I  am  happy."  She 
closed  her  affecting  story  by  saying :  "  I  have  seen  the 
glory  of  my  God.  Thanks  be  to  Jesus,  the  mighty 
Saviour !  " 

A  young  merchant,  who  had  been  completely  cap- 
tured by  the  theatre  and  fashion-devil,  followed  me  in 
the  cars  four  miles  after  a  meeting,  and  then,  at  my 
house,  spoke  to  me,  and  asked  me,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
not  to  part  with  him  until  he  had  found  the  Saviour. 
He  spoke  so  touchingly,  that  I  could  not  refrain  from 
embracing  him,  and  weeping  with  him.  He  came  to  my 
room  with  me,  and  there  prayed,  and  God  was  merciful 
to  this  dear  man.  A  portrait  painter,  in  the  same  way, 
was  -brought  to  Jesus. 

When  Christmas  came,  I  was  surprised  in  a  very 
pleasant  manner.  Those  who  had  been  converted  in 
Berlin,  conspired  with  my  good  wife  to  make  me  a  nice 
present,  and  had  asked  her  to  give  them  one  of  our 
pictures.  Christmas  eve  it  was  returned,  and  when  I 
stepped  into  the  room,  I  saw  before  me,  in  a  beautiful 
frame,  and  under  glass,  a  fine  picture  of  myself  and 
wife,  five  feet  high.  Our  young  painter  did  the  work 


268  SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOK 

in  crayon.  This  was  a  great  surprise  indeed.  It  did 
me  much  good  to  see  the  good  will  of  those  who  had 
so  recently  given  their  hearts  to  God. 

About  this  time  the  Lord  was  working  in  saving  power 
among  the  young  men,  and  a  large  number  were  con- 
verted, and  with  these  several  Sunday-schools  were 
opened  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  and  now  our 
evangelistic  meetings  were  opened  in  the  same  parts  of 
and  the  city,  conducted  under  remarkable  signs  of 
God's  favor. 

The  meetings  now  reminded  me  much  of  the  times  and 
seasons  of  special  refreshing  in  the  United  States,  such 
as  I  so  often  experienced  during  camp-meetings  and  revi- 
vals. Men  and  women  were  so  powerfully  wrought  upon 
by  the  Spirit,  that  they  could  not  leave  the  house  after 
preaching.  The  "  church  "  was  much  opposed  to  the  idea 
of  a  revival,  or  after-meetings ;  but  the  people  would  not 
go  home,  and  I  was  willing  that  God  should  have  His  way 
about  it ;  and  so,  many  who  had  been  saved  through 
grace,  were  ready  for  work,  and  did  work.  In  a  meet- 
ing which  I  held  in  a  new  district,  God  so  blessed  the 
people  that  all  over  the  hall  they  were  kneeling,  seeking 
for  God,  and  all  the  workers  had  work,  praying  with 
the  seekers.  Every  chair  was  turned  into  an  altar,  and 
scores  of  precious  souls  were  being  saved.  It  was  11.80 
when  the  lights  were  put  out  that  evening. 

During  the  following  day  my  house  was  filled  with 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  2G9 

such  as  would  seek  the  Lord ;  continually  going  and 
coming,  and  the  most  remarkable  conversions  took 
place.  A  poor  sin-stricken  woman  came  and  confessed 
that  two  years  ago  she  had  told  lies  at  court,  in  order 
to  save  her  brother  from  degradation ;  but  she  could 
not  rest  since  the  word  had  been  preached  to  her.  The 
poor  soul  struggled  hard,  and  the  enemy  seemed  to 
have  a  particularly  good  servant  in  her.  The  lying 
devil  is  a  mean  devil,  and  hangs  to  men  and  women 
longest  of  anything  else.  God  deliver  the  millions  of 
the  earth  from  lies!  They  believe  lies,  and  tell  lies. 
God  have  mercy ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

EAST  PKUSSIJi THE  ANCIENT    CITY    OF    THE  KINGS. 

FOB  the  month  of  January  I  was  invited  to  labor  in 
East  Prussia.  I  started  for  Elbing  on  the  second,  and 
an  eighteen  hours  ride  by  rail  brought  me  to  the  city. 
At  8  P.  M.,  next  day,  I  preached  to  an  immense  congre- 
gation in  the  largest  hall  of  the  city,  from  the  text  in 
Matthew  xii.  45, 46, — "  the  costly  pearl."  The  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  worth  more  than  anything  else  in  the 
world.  It  is  like  unto  a  merchantman  seeking  pearls, 
when  he  has  found  one  of  great  price  he  selleth  all  that 
he  hath  to  be  the  possessor.  Can  there  be  anything 
said  to  exceed  this  saying  of  our  Master  as  to  the  worth 
of  possessing  Christ  ?  Three  persons  came  to  my  room 
next  day.  One  had  been  disappointed  in  his  worldly 
career,  had  not  sought  after  goodly  pearls,  but  labored 
to  find  the  counterfeit  pearls.  Another  feared  the  ter- 
rors of  death,  and  the  third  found  it  hard  work  to  carry 
the  world  under  one  arm,  and  religion  under  the  other. 
Poor  soul !  he  was  tired  out,  and  weary  of  this  life. 
"  Sell  all,"  and  possess  the  pearl  of  highest  price.  How 
many  labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not !  Poor  Agrippa, 
with  his  crown !  "  Almost  thou  persuadest  me,"  —  he 
270 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  271 

had  not  the  pearl.  Who  was  the  real  king  ?  —  Agrippa, 
with  the  crown  upon  his  brow,  or  Paul,  with  the  iron 
chain  upon  his  wrists?  Ahab  in  his  marble  palace,  or 
the  prophet  before  him,  in  camels-hair  dress  ?  The  rich 
man,  faring  sumptuously  —  surrounded  by  the  luxuries 
and  comforts  of  life,  —  or  poor  Lazarus,  with  the  dogs 
licking  his  sores  ?  No !  no  !  we  cannot  be  mistaken  in 
the  answer. 

Sunday,  Jan.  6,  was  a  day  of  special  outpouring  of  the 
the  Holy  Ghost.  It  was  the  last  day  of  meeting  with 
the  people  in  this  city.  Scores  had  found  the  Saviour, 
and  especially  among  the  young  people  a  blessed  work 
was  in  progress.  Three  meetings  had  been  held  each 
day  through  the  week,  and  at  every  meeting  the  Lord 
saved  some.  At  2  P.  M.,  I  called  a  children's  meeting. 
The  large  hall  was  crowded, —  not  a  vacant  place  to  be 
found.  I  spoke  to  them  on  John  xiv.  1,  2.  It  seemed 
heaven  on  earth  to  be  with  these  dear  little  lambs. 
At  4  P.  M.,  meeting  for  adults.  Preached  on  the  five 
"  cities  of  refuge."  This  meeting  was  one  of  great 
power.  The  8  P.  M.  meeting  was  still  more  so. 
Preached  on  "Abraham  and  Lot,"  or  the  difference 
between  him  that  serveth  God,  and  him  that  serveth 
him  not.  Many  found  Christ  on  that  memorable 
evening,  and  I  bade  them  farewell. 


272          SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

IN  THE  RIGHT  SPIRIT. 

The  Countess  v.   G.   of  P ,   had   invited  me  to 

preach  in  that  place,  and  given  two  large  halls  in  her 
mansion  for  that  purpose.  I  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  started  for  P ,  Monday  forenoon.  Every  prep- 
aration had  been  made  and  the  people  invited  for  the 
first  meeting  at  5  P.  M.,  of  the  same  day.  The  house 
was  filled  with  anxious  hearers,  and  God  condescended 
to  pour  out  the  spirit  of  conviction  at  the  start,  so  that 
many  felt  constrained  to  inquire  the  way  of  salvation. 
The  countess  had  been  much  in  England,  and  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  modes  of  work  during  the  Moody 
meetings,  and  so  I  had  no  trouble  in  inviting  the  people 
to  the  different  adjoining  apartments,  turning  them  into 
inquiry  rooms,  and  the  countess  as  well  as  a  sister  of 
hers  proved  valuable  helpers  with  the  seekers.  I  fol- 
lowed the  programme  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance, 
which  was  now  in  session  all  over  the  world.  That 
spirit  of  union  was  felt  in  a  remarkable  degree  in  all 
the  meetings  of  the  week.  A  deaconess  of  the  Luther- 
an Church  in  that  place  entered  the  inquiry  room,  and 
found  a  perfect  salvation  from  all  sin,  by  accepting 
sanctification  by  faith,  thus  fitting  her  for  work  in  the 
inquiry  room.  The  second  day,  seven  souls  rushed  into 
the  inquiry  room;  they  were  in  great  haste  to  get  rid 
of  sin  and  Satan.  All  prayed,  and  hearts  were  search- 


rs  SOUTH  -AMERICA.  273 

ed,  and  confessions  of  sin  made  to  the  Lord.  There 
was  great  joy  in  the  house  that  day.  God  had  surely 
visited  His  people.  The  holiness  meetings  in  the  after- 
noons proved  to  be  of  vital  importance.  God  seemed 
then  to  prepare  us  for  the  work  before  us,  and  we  were 
not  mistaken.  While  many  in  these  meetings  were  led 
to  a  full  and  complete  surrender,  and  the  undecided  led 
to  decision,  we  found  that  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  in  the  evangelistic  services  for  the  unconverted, 
was  manifested  in  great  power,  and  when  the  work  be- 
gan among  the  seekers,  the  Lord's  people  were  ready 
for  it.  They  did  not  then  come  to  "  claim  faith,"  but 
they  came  to  "  exercise  faith  ; "  and  not  so  much  "  to 
be  helped  "  themselves,  as  to  "  help  others."  Thus  our 
minds  were  bent  on  this  one  object,  that  God  might  be 
glorified  so  that  we  bear  much  fruit.  There  were  no 
different  desires  among  the  workers  —  we  kept  the 
"  unity  of  the  faith,"  and  we  understood  this,  and  each 
other.  Thus  the  powers  of  darkness  gave  way,  and 
Christ  was  conqueror,  and  the  recipients  of  His  grace 
more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that  saved  them 
from  all  sin.  The  meetings  closed  Sunday  evening, 
Jan.  13;  but  to  the  last  night  the  inquiry  room  was 
filled  with  seekers.  Seven  of  the  servants  in  this  house 
had  been  converted  to  God,  and  the  last  man  was  the 
gardener,  who  had  been  addicted  to  drink,  and  came 
near  losing  his  situation  on  that  account.  lie  settled 

O 


274  SIX  YEAKS   WITH '  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

the  question  forever  by  coming  to  Jesus,  and  was  ac- 
cepted a  member  of  the  heavenly  family.  It  was  a 
blessing  to  me  to  see  with  my  eyes  -how  his  Christian 
wife,  who  had  -been  praying  for  him  these  many  years, 
was  filled  with  joy,  and  wept  for  joy  on  the  neck  of 
her  husband. 

The  next  station  where  meetings  had  been  announced, 
and  hall  rented,  was  was  Heiligenbeil.  The  hall  was 
rather  crowded,  and  some  chairs  and  benches  were  ta- 
ken out  to  give  standing  room.  The  Spirit  of  God  had 
stirred  the  country  round  about,  and  fell  in  power  upon 
them  when  the  word  was  preached.  I  arrived  at  6  P.  M., 
and  preached  at  7  P.  M.,  so  I  drove  from  the  station  im- 
mediately to  the  hall.  The  people  were  burning  to  hear 
the  word. 

A  METHODIST  OLD-FASHIONED  MEETING. 

Forty  seekers  remained  after  the  meeting,  and  as  we 
had  no  smaller  rooms  there,  the  brethren  arranged  an 
'altar  for  the  mourners.  It  was  a  good  old-fashioned 
Methodist  mourners'  bench,  but  I  had  no  time,  however, 
to  give  it  a  name,  or  to  explain.  It  was  soon  crowded, 
and  the  workers  at  work.  One  after  another  of  the 
seekers  arose,  and  confessed  the  Saviour.  Such  a  meet- 
ing I  had  not  seen  for  a  long  time :  so  many  in  one 
place  praying  to  God  for  pardon.  Not  a  soul  was  left 
behind, —  all- had  found  the  Saviour.  The  enemy  had 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  275 

•been  totally  surprised  and  defeated;  but  lie  tried  a 
game.  The  hall-owner  informed  the  committee  after 
the  meeting,  that  the  hall  could  not  be  had  for  other 
meetings.  We  did  not  attempt  to  hold  him  to  his 
contract,  but  before  leaving  the  house,  another  man, 
having  heard  of  it,  came  and  offered  his  house  without 
money  and  without  price.  The  Lord  opened  a  door, 
and  who  shall  shut  it  ?  Never  fear,  little  flock  —  the 
Lord  is  thy  Shepherd.  The  following  evening  was  the 
last  meeting  in  this  place,  and  seven  others  stood  up 
before  the  close,  and  confessed  the  Saviour. 

Wednesday,  16th,  proceeded  to  a  farm-house  in  the 
country ;  but  the  accommodations  were  too  small.  It 
being  winter,  I  thought  it  must  be  very  uncomfortable 
to  those  standing  in  the  halls  and  doors;  but  they 
would  rather  remain  than  to  go  away.  Now,  to 
describe  this  meeting,  would  be  utterly  impossible. 
Among  the  number  that  here  found  Jesus  was  one 
young  man  who  found  the  Saviour  in  entire  sanctifica- 
tion  after  he  had  been  reclaimed  from  a  cold,  half-alive 
condition.  While  he  praised  God  on  his  knees,  he 
prayed  God  to  help  him  to  be  true  to  his  conviction  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  when  a  wealthy  farmer's  wife  said: 
"  Yes,  amen,  and  I  will  pay  his  way."  Would  to  God 
more  such  women  and  men  would  say  such  "amens" 
with  a  substantial  backing  to  it.  Many,  however,  like 
.to  say  amen  while  others  are  praying,  and  never  think 


276  SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

that  God  wants  them  to  answer  that  prayer.  They 
expect  it  from  elsewhere. 

Thursday,  left  for  Bladieu,  a  town  not  far  away. 
When  I  arrived  in  the  afternoon,  I  found  the  people 
waiting,  and  Satan,  too,  had  come  to  do  his  work ;  but 
we  will  see  how  the  dear  Lord  stood  by  us.  The  meet- 
ing had  been  announced  for  seven  o'clock,  but  the 
people  had  crowded  the  large  hall  ever  since  four  in  the 
afternoon.  Carts  and  wagon-loads  full  of  human  freight 
were  lining  the  streets  on  every  side,  and  hundreds  on 
foot  crowded  the  entrance  to  the  house.  The  hall  was 
upstairs,  and  used  for  dancing  when  it  was  secured  for 
our  meeting.  When  time  for  meeting  had  come,  several 
brethren  accompanied  me,  and,  as  they  said,  "  to  make 
room  for  me  to  go  up  stairs."  I  let  them  work  for 
awhile,  but,  bathed  in  perspiration,  they  came  back  and 
had  not  succeeded  in  clearing  a  passage,  and  there 
seemed  a  great  noise  in  the  hall  upstairs.  I  asked  the 
brethren  to  wait  and  see  how  the  Lord  would  help.  So 
I  raised  my  voice  above  the  din,  and  cried :  "  Friends  I 
I  am  here,  and  come  to  preach ;  just  make  room."  In 
an  instant  the  passage  was  cleared,  and  I  was  lifted  up, 
and  quicker  than  I  ever  got  upstairs  anywhere,  I  was 
set  down  inside  the  hall. 

Satan  had  sent  some  of  his  agents  to  work  to  frustrate 
our  efforts  that  evening.  Some  infidels  had  collected 
together  and  offered  to  pay  for  a  barrel  of  beer,  if 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  277 

certain  individuals,  who  now  were  trying  to  raise  a 
disturbance  upstairs,  should  succeed  in  stopping  the 
progress  of  the  meeting.  The  people  had  removed 
every  chair  and  every  bench,  and  even  my  table,  from 
the  room,  and  lifted  the  doors  out  of  their  hinges, 

O 

leading  into  other  rooms  adjoining  our  hall ;  and  thus 
tried  to  make  more  room ;  but  I  thought  they  must  feel 
uncomfortable,  and  would  hurt  our  meeting.  However, 
as  I  gave  out  the  hymn :  "  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with 
blood,"  I  felt  the  Spirit's  presence. 

RIOTERS  MADE  FRIENDS. 

Reading  the  hymn,  five  drunken  men,  —  those  hired 
for  the   occasion,  —  kept  up  a  great  noise,  and  began 
quarrelling  with  those  around  them,  and  used  profane 
language.     The  people  became  restless,  and  seeing  this, 
I  commanded  the  brethren  to  pray,  while  I  turned  to 
those   rough  men  and  said  to  them :  k'  Now,  friends,  I 
want  to  teach  you  this  beautiful  new  hymn.     I'll  sing  a 
verse.     Now,  watch  and  catch  the  tune."     There  was  a 
dead  silence  in  an  instant,  and  I  sang  the  first  verse  of 
that  powerful  hymn,  with  the  chorus,  "  I  do  believe,  I 
now  believe."     My  five  men,  who  had  crowded  about 
me,  sang  now  the  loudest,  as  I  raised  my  finger  asking 
all  to  join  me  in  repeating  the  verse.     Then  I  asked  all 
the  females  to  sing  the  same  verse,  and  the  men  join  in 
the  chorus.     When  the  latter  did  so,  I  saw  two  of  tho 


278  SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

would-be  disturbers  make  their  way  out  of  the  hall, 
making  an  effort  to  leave  unnoticed,  but  I  saw  them. 
The  other  two  mixed  up  with  those  standing  about  and 
sang,  and  when  the  last  verse  was  sung,  one  of  the 
poor  fellows  wept  like  a  child.  Then  followed  the 
sermon.  I  stood  on  a  small  soap-box  against  the  wall, 
but  the  Lord  was  there,  and  the  word  was  wonderfully 
blessed  to  the  hearers.  It  came  down  into  their  hearts 
in  Pentecostal  power.  I  preached  from  Ezek.  xviii,  20 : 
"  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  Near  the  close 
of  the  discourse  I  was  constrained  to  cry  out :  "  Who 
will  take  life  ?  "  In  an  instant  about  thirty  hands  were 
up.  It  was  of  God,  and  I  asked  them  to  remain  in 
that  position  until  I  counted  them,  in  order  to  pray 
with  them.  Scarcely  had  I  used  the  word  "pray" 
when  everybody  knelt  down,  and  the  cries  of  those 
who  desired  life  rose  up  to  Heaven.  Quickly  the  forces 
were  collected  and  set  to  work,  to  help  those  dear  souls 
in  praying  to  God  and  pointing  them  to  the  Lamb  of 
God. 

THE  DAY  OF  PENTECOST  HAD  FULLY  COME. 

When  the  meetings  closed,  there  were  so  many  who 
had  riot  been  able  to  hear  the  word,  I  felt  sorry  for 
them ;  they  seemed  to  be  hungering.  I  invited  them 
for  to-morrow,  when  three  meetings  were  to  be  held. 
The  house  was  rilled  to  overflowing,  and  several  meet- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  279 

ings  liad  to  be  held  in  succession.  In  the  evening  meet- 
ing, which  was  to  be  the  last,  I  preached  from  Acts 
xxvi. :  "  Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian." 
In  the  midst  of  the  discourse  I  was  interrupted  by 
those  who  sought  the  Lord.  It  was  time  to  go  to  work 
among  them  as  the  night  before,  and  God  was  there  to 
save.  At  9  P.  M.,  by  the  help  of  the  brethren,  we 
cleared  the  hall,  so  as  to  open  a  second  meeting,  and  ad- 
mit those  who  had  been  waiting  in  the  street  —  stand- 
ing in  the  snow.  I  preached  from  2  Cor.  x. :  "  Be  ye 
reconciled  to  God."  The  same  power  was  manifested 
as  in  the  first  meeting.  Some  were  praying  aloud  in 
the  adjoining  rooms,  and  others  in  the  hallway  leading 
down  stairs.  By  this  time  the  Lord  had  a  strong  band 
of  noble  workers  in  this  town.  Those  who  had  been 
converted  before,  were  now  bringing  in  their  friends, 
and  praying  with  them.  Thus  closed  our  meetings 
here ;  but  to  be  continued  from  house  to  house  by  the 
saved  ones. 

Zinten  was  my  next  place  for  work.  The  people  had 
come  out  in  great  numbers,  and  our  faith  was  tried. 
There  was  "  no  stir  "  in  the  congregation.  Quite  a  dif- 
ference was  visible.  A  brother  asked  me  after  tho 
meeting, "  What  do  you  think  is  the  matter?  "  —  "  That 
God  is  saving  the  people,"  was  the  answer;  and  I  knew 
well  it  was  so.  How  strange  it  seems  that  if  workers 
in  the  Lord's  vineyard  have  had  times  of  refreshing, 


280  SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

they  are  so  easily  led  to  question  when  the  outward 
manifestations  suddenly  change!  "What  is  the  mat- 
ter?" There  is  a  doubt  in  this  question  expressed,  and 
it  sounds  as  though  we  had  not  the  same  God  of  yester- 
day to  deal  with.  "  Not  in  my  way,  but  in  Thy  way." 
Let  us  calmly  and  sweetly  wait  upon  God  —  "  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever  "  —  the  same  God !  Hal- 
lelujah !  "  It  is  not  by  power,  nor  by  might,  but  by 
My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord."  Zinten  was  a  small  place, 
with  big  sins,  and  when  the  Sabbath  came  we  opened- 
the  hall  at  5  P.  M.  I  had  been  very  sick  during  the 
night,  with  a  high  fever,  and  was  no  better  at  four  in 
the  afternoon.  Three  of  the  brethren  came  to  my  bed 
and  said :  "  The  people  expect  you  to  preach ;  what 
shall  we  tell  them?"  "I  will  tell  them  the  word  of 
God  at  five  o'clock ;  and  now,  dear  brethren,  pray,  if  so 
be  the  will  of  God,  I  shall  arise  as  soon  as  you  leave 
the  room."  The  three  brethren  prayed  to  God,  and 
then  left  the  room.  I  arose  and  dressed,  and  once  more 
I  bowed  before  my  great  Heavenly  Father,  and  com- 
mitting myself  —  body  and  soul  —  into  His  hands,  I 
asked  Him,  for  Jesus'  sake,  to  give  me  the  victory  over 
the  body,  and  then  I  praised  Him  aloud  for  the  victory 
we  were  going  to  have  at  the  meeting. 

When  I  met  the  brethren,  I  was  quite  strong  to 
preach.  My  text  for  the  afternoon  was  Luke  xix.  10. 
We  had  not  to  wait  very  long  before  the  glory  of  the 


Df  SOUTH   AMERICA.  281 

Lord  appeared  and  filled  the  house.  The  cry  for  par- 
don rose  to  heaven  from  many  hearts,  and  the  sermon 
was  brought  to  a  timely  close  ;  and  dismissing  the  con- 
gregation, I  invited  all  those  to  remain  who  were  in 
real  earnest  about  the  salvation  of  their  immortal  souls ; 
but  insisted  that  all  others  should  retire.  Thirty-five 
unconverted  men  and  women  remained  in  the  hall,  and 
after  a  short  exhortation  to  them,  we  bowed  to  pray.  I 
asked  all  to  pray  for  themselves.  A  wonderful  blessing 
prevailed  then.  The  prayers  were  clear,  and  souls  made 
sure.  The  victory  was  complete,  and  the  bulwarks  of 
the  enemy  had  been  stormed,  and  the  banner  of  Jesus 
unfurled,  and  the  shout  of  victory  went  up  to  heaven 
from  the  hearts  of  all  who  had  sought  and  found  the 
Lord. 

Monday,  the  meeting  was  continued.  I  preached  on 
Naaman  the  Syrian,  and  after  the  sermon,  again  an  invi- 
tation was  extended  to  seekers,  and  again  the  Lord  glo- 
rified His  name  in  the  salvation  of  many  who  remained 
and  sought  the  Lord.  This  was  the  last  meeting  at 
Z . 

Before  leaving  for  Konigsberg,  the  saved  ones  had 
started  a  praise  meeting,  and  I  heard  the  testimonies 
they  gave  in  honor  of  the  Redeemer. 


282          SIX  YEAES  WITH  WILLIAM- TAYLOR 

THE  ANCIENT  CITY  OF  THE  KINGS.  —  KANT'S  CITY. 

Konigsberg  has  a  large  population,  and  a  hall  was  se- 
cured to  seat  from  2500  to  3000  persons.  It  had  a  stage 
and  niches,  very  suitable  for  our  meetings.  The  meet- 
ings were  to  last  three  days,  and  three  meetings  each 
day.  The  day  meetings. were  not  appreciated,  but  the 
evening  meetings  were  good,  and  the  hall  filled.  After 
each  meeting  an  invitation  was  given  for  seekers  to  re- 
tire to  the  niches,  and  we  met  with  a  hearty  and  healthy 
response.  Thanks  be  to  God  for  those  who  from  this 
place  shall  meet  in  heaven ! 

I  returned  to  Berlin  after  the  meetings  had  been 
closed,  and  I  could  praise  the  Lord  for  His  wonderful 
manifestation  of  love  and  power  during  my  time  in 
East  Prussia,  and  I  could  see  how  in  so  many  different 
ways  the  same  results  had  been  obtained.  The  last- 
meetings  at  K were  not  accompanied  with  the  same 

outward  signs  as  those  in  other  places,  but  the  number 
converted  stood  not  behind  any  of  the  others.  Oh, 
how  much  do  we  learn,  if  but  our  eyes  be  stayed  on 
Jesus  I  I  can  afford  to  wait  on  Him,  and  He  never 
failed  to  show  me  His  glory  in  due  time.  Praise  His 
name,  oh  my  soul,  for  He  is  worthy  to  be  praised ! 

On  the  way  to  Berlin,  I  had  to  visit  one  other  small 
town,  to  preach  there,  and  the  Lord  blessed  me  there 
very  much,  and  a  number  of  souls  were  converted  to 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  283 

God.  One  father  brought  his  two  sons  — both  married 
—  to  the  inquiry  room.  Both  seemed  sincere,  and  con- 
fessing their  sins,  confessed  the  Saviour.  I  stopped 
over  night  with  a  brother,  and  I  was  just  retiring,  when 
I  heard  some  one  knocking  against  the  window-pane. 
I  opened  the  door  to  see  who  it  was.  One  of  those  two 
sons,  who  had  confessed  the  Saviour  at  the  meeting, 
wanted  to  see  me.  He  was  in  great  sorrow,  and  wept. 
He  begged  me  to  hear  him.  He  felt  he  must  pour  out 
his  heart  to  some  one,  and  pray  once  more  with  me,  for 
the  enemy  had  been  sore  pressing  him.  I  prayed  with 
him,  and  he  was  so  filled,  that,  weeping  for  joy,  he  threw 
himself  on  my  neck  and  kissed  me.  Truly  God  spoke 
peace  to  my  soul,  and  gave  him  the  victory  over  sin  and 
death. 

Saturday,  the  26th,  I  returned  to  Berlin.  My  dear 
wife  seemed  to  have  completely  recovered  her  health. 
The  nine  months  in  Europe  had,  thanks  to  God,  not 
been  without  effect  upon  her,  although  for  a  time  it 
seemed  that  the  loss  of  our  children  would  take  away 
all  hope  for  her  recovery. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MY  RETURN  TO  CHILI,  TAKING  WITH  ME  A  GERMAN 
COLONY. 

WE  had  long  given  up  the  idea  of  returning  to  the 
United  States,  but  ever  since  our  darling  children  had 
gone  to  God,  our  thoughts  had  wandered  back  to  our 
beloved  Chili, — only  we  did  not  expect  to  return  to 
Valparaiso,  fearing  that  the  old  trouble  would  come 
back.  We  hoped  and  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  open 
a  field  in  the  more  southern  part  of  Chili.  Our  prayers 
soon  were  to  be  answered.  Through  the  Chilian  minis- 
ter at  Berlin,  we  received  a  letter  from  Paris,  from  an 
agent  of  the  same  government,  who  asked  me  whether 
I  would  return  to  Chili,  and  if  so,  try  to  take  with  me 
a  German  Colony,  and  in  this  case  I  should  receive  a 
free  passage  for  myself  and  wife  to  Chili.  We  prayed 
over  the.  matter,  and  it  appeared  clear  that  God  might 
use  me  to  bring  to  Chili  a  good  colony  of  Christian 
and  industrious  people.  Our  minds  were  soon  settled 
on  the  question,  and  I  made  my  intention  known  to 
some  of  the  people  in  Berlin  and  East  Prussia.  I  re- 
ceived many  letters  from  such  as  were  willing  to  go, 
taking  good  care  to  select  Christian  people,  and  in  the 
colony  to  represent  every  trade,  as  well  as  farmers. 
284 


IX  SOUTH  AMERICA.  285 

Twenty-six  families  were  to  meet  me  in  Hamburg,  and 
twenty-seven  more  at  Bordeaux,  and  about  eighty  more 
were  to  follow  after  the  rainy  season,  seven  months  la- 
ter, as  they  could  not  get  ready  for  the  ship.  Those 
going  by  the  way  of  Hamburg,  were  to  meet  me  there 
on  Thursday,  the  7th  of  February.  As  I  was  packing 
our  trunk,  quite  unsuspectingly,  a  police  officer  entered 
the  room  and  arrested  me  in  the  name  of  the  king.  On 
inquiry,  I  found  that  I  had,  unknowingly,  violated  one 
of  Bismarck's  laws  concerning  emigration.  It  had 
been  forbidden,  and  yet  I  had  engaged  those  families. 
This  was  a  great  trial,  and  rather  a  sad  parting  impres- 
sion upon  me  on  leaving  my  "  Fatherland " ;  but  I 
must  obey  the  law,  and  pay  the  penalty.  I  was  fined 
8200.  Some  friends  who  had  heard  about  it  in  visiting 
my  good  wife,  collected  at  once,  and  raised  more  than 
was  necessary.  Countess  W.  contributed  $200,  and  a 
grandchild  of  the  old  Marshall  "  Vornarts  "-Blucher, 
gave  $100  more.  Surely,  some  trials  and  afflictions 
await  us  everywhere,  and  while  the  Lord  permitted  this 
to  befall  me,  I  feel  to  pray  God  for  more  wisdom,  and 
an  open  eye,  and  make  no  complaint.  Many  times  we 
bring  trials  upon  ourselves,  when  God  had  nothing  to 
with  it.  The  Lord  will  bring.it  about  and  then  we 
have  the  Lord's  deliverance ;  but  He  will  not  forsake  us 
even  in  the  former  case — only  we  feel  like  a  child 
which  puts  its  finger  into  the  fire  to  find  out  what  it  is. 


286  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

Father  won't  punish  it,   but  tells   us,    "Don't  do   it 
again." 

This  delayed  us  in  Berlin  two  days.  When  we  ar- 
rived in  Hamburg,  we  had  only  just  time  to  visit  once 
more  the  graves  of  our  children.  We  realized  so  fully 
God's  presence,  that  while  the  tears  flowed,  sweet 
peace  and  comfort  reigned  within.  We  had  ordered 
two  marble  slabs,  and  when  we  stood  at  the  graves  they 
had  already  been  placed  upon  them.  The  words  in- 
scribed were  only  these :  "  John  xvi.  16 :  A  little  while." 
•Leaving  the  spot,  probably  never  to  look  upon  it  again, 
I  pressed  the  hand  of  my  precious  companion  and  whis- 
pered :  "  A  little  while." —  "  Yes,  a  little  while,"  she  re- 
plied, "  and  all  is  well."  Then  we  entered  a  coach  and 
drove  back  to  the  city,  and  to  the  wharf  where  the 
steamer  was  ready  to  take  us  to  England,  there  to  meet 
our  steamer  for  South  America.  Our  colonists  were  all 
on  board  in  due  time,  and  happy. 

THE  FATHER  OF  A  LARGE  FAMILY  OF  BIG  LITTLE 

ONES. 

Thousands  of  questions  were  asked,  and  I  felt  happy 
to  answer  all  I  could ;  sometimes,  however,  it  was  im- 
possible to  do  that.  Then  the  children  would  come  and 
ask  me  questions,  and  I  had  to  stand  it  all ;  sometimes 
I  thought  they  were  more  inquisitive  than  the  "  big 
children."  The  big  ones  would  know  all  about  the  Ar- 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  287 

•auco  Indians,  while  the  little  ones  were  satisfied  to 
know  that  we  had  plenty  of  nice  "  dolls  "  in  that  coun- 
try. 

A  boarding-house  had  been  secured  for  them  here, 
and  I  had  also  cabled  to  England  and  arranged  every- 
thing for  their  reception  there,  and  I  was  held  responsi- 
ble by  some,  for  all  the  "  poor  dishes,"  bitter  coffee,  and 
stale  bread,  and  hard  beds,  and  a  lot  of  other  things 
that  I  never  found  out ;  but  things  went  on  splendidly 
after  all.  I  found  sufficient  opportunity  "  to  do  "  for 
them. 

We  soon  had  embarked,  and  were  under  way,  —  no 
baggage  missing.  Half-way  across  the  Channel,  many 
were  sea-sick.  Some  thought  it  was  the  steamer's  fault ; 
others,  the  rough  weather ;  again,  some  thought  "  I  did 
it " ;  but  when  we  stepped  on  shore,  all  were  happy 
again.  Only  two  days  we  need  wait  in  Liverpool.  The 
Chilian  Government  provided  us  with  a  free  pass  to 
Chili,  and  also  contracted  to  give  to  each  family,  one 
yoke  of  oxen,  with  cart  and  American  plow ;  one  hun- 
dred boards  for  building  purposes ;  forty  kilogrames 
nails ;  one  cow,  with  calf ;  fifteen  dollars  per  month  for 
one  year,  and  physician  free  for  two  years ;  and  to  each 
family,  120  acres  of  good  land ;  and  sixty  acres  more  for 
each  male  member  above  twelve  years.  Conditions: 
That  what  each  colonist  received  in  cash,  or  cattle,  ami 
the  passage  money,  is  to  be  paid  for  in  eight  years,  with- 


288 

out  interest.  The  government  has  fulfilled  her  con- 
tract to  the  letter. 

We  embarked  for  Chili  on  the  13th  of  February, 
1884,  on  board  the  CotopaxL  The  passage  across  the 
ocean  was  a  splendid  one,  and  the  emigrants  be- 
haved well.  Services  were  held  every  Sabbath  on 
deck.  In  Bordeaux,  we  received  the  rest  of  our 
party  for  Chili.  One  little  child  died  before  reach- 
ing Brazil,  and  one  was  born  into  the  world.  The  pa- 
rents called  the  little  girl  "  Cotopaxi."  In  Rio  Janeiro, 
myself  and  wife,  as  well  as  a  number  of  colonists,  vis- 
ited the  city.  I  called  on  some  of  the  missionaries  and 
spent  the  evening  with  them.  The  steamer  left  the  fol- 
lowing day,  at  noon.  Before  returning  to  the  ship,  we 
took  lunch  at  the  same  hotel  where  we  stopped  about  a 
year  ago.  The  same  waiter  was  there,  and  he  recogniz- 
ed us  at  once.  His  first  question  was :  "  And  where 
are  your  nice  little  boys  ?  "  —  "  They  are  with  Jesus, 
my  friend,  —  God  has  taken  them  home."  My  wife 
smiled,  but  her  eyes  filled  with  tears.  She  told  me  af- 
terwards :  "  I  suppose  we  can  never  be  spared  the  ques- 
tion, and  it  pains ;  but  oh,  God  is  good !  They  are  with 
Jesus." 

Once  more  we  passed  through  the  Straits  of  Magel- 
lan ;  but  they  were  as  dismal  and  gloomy  looking  as  a 
year  ago ;  and  passing  out  at  the  west  entrance,  we  en- 
countered a  heavy  head  gale,  and  the  steamer  worked 
heavily  —  not  making  five  miles  an  hour. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  289 

In  five  days  more  we  landed  —  on  the  28th  of  March 
—  in  Talcalmana,  to  discharge  our  human  freight.  All 
were  safely  landed.  None  were  ill,  and  all  looked  hap- 
py. Some  had  brought  money  with  them,  and  I  ex- 
changed it  and  got  a  good  price  for  it.  The  govern- 
ment officials  conducted  us  to  the  railroad  station,  and 
we  took  train  for  the  interior.  The  first  stopping  place 
was  Concepcion.  The  colonists  staid  at  the  soldiers' 
barracks.  This  was  trying  to  some,  but  could  not  be 
helped ;  and,  besides,  they  understood  all  before  leaving 
their  old  home,  and  but  little  complaint  was  made. 
Soon  we  were  on  our  way  to  Angol,  where  we  received 
our  outfits  and  guides. 

CROSSING  THE  COAST-CORDILLERA.  —  THE  NEW 
COLONY. 

After  a  long  rest  of  fifteen  days,  each  family  took 
charge  of  their  carts  and  oxen,  stowed  their  baggage 
and  provisions,  and  now  the  whole  train  started  on  a 
three  days'  journey  to  the  interior.  Many  of  these 
good  people  had  never  driven  oxen,  and  the  men  got 
out  of  patience  with  these  docile  animals.  The  chil- 
dren would  cry,  and  the  mothers  lose  patience,  so  in  a 
sense  they  were  all  children.  However,  we  safely 
reached  our  destination  —  our  new  home, — a  beautiful 
spot,  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  Coast-Cordillera  of 
Nahuelbuta,  and  on  the  map  called  Contulmo,  situated 


290  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

neai  a  lake  seven  leagues  long,  but  only  one  league  in 
breadth.  We  found  some  natives  there  who  had  rented 
some  land  from  the  government.  The  huts,  or  ranchos, 
they  lived  in,  had  been  bought  for  the  colonists,  so  we 
found  shelter  at  once,  —  the  natives  moving  to  other 
parts  in  the  country. 

I  had  gone  out  with  them  intending  to  stay  in  the 
colony,  if  so  be  the  Lord's  will,  and  accept  land  for 
myself,  and  commence  school  and  mission  work  at  the 
earliest  possible  date.  Besides  this,  I  desired  to  make 
arrangements  for  other  families  who  desired  to  come 
over  from  Germany,  but  could  not  get  ready  for  the" 
first  expedition.  There  were  about  eighty  families  in 
East  Prussia  who  desired  to  come,  besides  many  of  the 
relatives  of  those  with  me  now.  We  were  to  form,  how- 
ever, the  only  colony  in  those  parts,  and  found  that  all 
those  coming  after  us  were  to  be  settled  a  day's  journey 
from  Contulmo,  to  the  south,  and  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Coast-Cordillera,  so  as  to  place  that  mountain  range 
between  us  and  them.  I  at  first  felt  a  little  un- 
comfortable about  that  arrangement,  as  I  thought  it 
would  limit  my  field  of  labor  too  much  to  labor  a 
lifetime  among  so  few.  But  I  thought  to  utilize  our 
forces  for  mission  work  —  something  at  the  back  for 
future  development  of  the  work  among  natives.  The 
farm  was  to  be  the  source  of  supplies  for  myself  and 
family;  accordingly  I  put  my  hand  to  the  plow,  and 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA.  291 

with  the  help  of  a  native,  wiili  whom  I  contracted, 
put  in  the  seeds  for  next  year's  harvest. 

During  the  succeeding  months,  it  became  clear  to  me 
that  I  could  not  do  farming  work,  pastoral  work,  and 
teaching  day-school,  all  alone.  The  government 
promised  to  build  a  school-house,  and  I  told  them  that 
I  would  send  for  a  teacher.  They  desired  me,  however, 
to  assume  the  responsibility  of  the  school,  to  which  I 
consented.  Accordingly  I  sent  for  a  teacher,  who 
arrived  from  the  United  States  in  due  season. 

In  the  meantime  the  Lord  had  visited  our  house  with 
a  great  blessing.  In  the  month  of  July,  a  daughter  was 
born  to  us. 

SETTLING  THE  COLONISTS  IN  THEIR  NEW  HOMES. 

Services  were  begun  from  the  first,  and  a  weekly 
prayer-meeting  established,  to  be  held  in  different 
places  each  Wednesday  evening.  Both  meetings  were 
well  attended,  according  to  circumstances.  The  school- 
house  was  almost  finished,  and  the  colonists  had  done 
their  field-work  long  ago,  and  harvest-time  had  come 
close  to  hand.  Things  looked  cheerful,  with  one 
exception.  Among  the  number  of  people  we  had 
brought  with  us,  were  some  whom  I  designated  "  black 
sheep,"  and  they  caused  us  great  trouble.  I  was  not  so 
much  disappointed,  as  I  felt  sorry  for  them ;  but  we 
would  look  to  God  and  pray.  However,  a  community 


292  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

is  never  without  such.  We  learned  that  lesson  in  OUT 
turn. 

When  the  teacher  at  last  arrived,  the  government 
made  an  arrangement  with  him  to  pay  him  out  of  the 
treasury,  $1.50  per  child  ;  but  less  than  fifteen  in  school 
at  a  time.  Only  a  few  weeks  for  consideration  was 
given,  when  our  teacher  thought  this  not  to  be  the 
place  for  .his  work,  nor  a  school,  and  that  he  might  be 
able  to  do  more  good  in  the  city.  This  was  a  great 
trial.  He  received  a  call  to  our  college  at  Concepcion. 

When  we  were  alone  once  more,  I  saw  that  I  could 
not  take  upon  myself  the  work,  and  a  trip  to  Santiago, 
our  mission  headquarters,  became  necessary,  and  there 
the  brethren  were  consulted.  Considering  the  circum- 
stances, it  was  thought  best  to  abandon  the  field  at 
present,  allowing  the  colonists  to  develop  a  self-support- 
ing work  among  themselves,  after  two  years  more  work 
on  their  farms,  and  then  send  a  man  to  them.  But  I 
myself  was  to  be  sent  back  to  my  old  field  of  labor  — 
at  Valparaiso.  My  dear  wife  had  completely  recovered 
her  health,  and  since  our  return,  had  improved,  so  as  to 
justify  my  return  to  Valparaiso,  even  in  consideration 
of  that  question. 

THE  NEEDS  OF  VALPARAISO. 

In  order  now  to  put  the  work  there  on  a  firm  footing, 
and  to  gather  to  a  home  my  Methodist  Church,  and 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  293 

continue  the  work  as  I  had  done  for  three  years,  the 
incumbrances  of  those  years,  which  kept  the  work 
from  being  properly  organised  on  a  broad  platform, 
must  be  removed ;  such  as  renting  unsuitable  halls  — 
too  small,  and  not  in  the  right  location — and  paying 
high  rents.  Valparaiso  is  situated  along  the  sea-shore, 
and  in  order  to  make  room  for  streets  and  buildings, 
the  hills  back  of  it  —  or  rather,  part  of  them  —  being 
dumped  into  the  sea,  and  the  houses  built  thereupon. 
This  accounts  for  the  high  coft  of  the  ground,  high 
rents,  etc.,  in  the  best  parts  of  the  city.  Business 
houses  are  chiefly  erected  on  this  "  made  ground,"  and 
no  provision  is  made  for  large  halls,  if  we  could  be 
ever  so  willing  to  pay  high  rents  ;  and  such  as  would  be 
rented  are  only  large  rooms,  at  best,  badly  located  for 
Christian  work.  We  must,  then,  call  upon  the  friends 
of  Bishop  Taylor's  missions  in  South  America,  to  supply 
our  "Building  Fund  Society,"  with  means  to  put  up 
our  necessary  buildings  in  Valparaiso,  as  we  had  done 
at  Iquique,  and  Coquimbo,  and  Concepcion  (just  start- 
ing^—  Valparaiso  being  the  most  important  station  on 
West  Coast  for  a  thoroughly  Methodist  work. 

When  this  was  clear  to  cur  minds,  the  brethren  said : 
"  Then,  Bro.  Krauser,  you  must  go  and  tell  the  friends 
at  home  what  the  Lord  is  doing  down  here  for  us,  but 
more  especially  in  your  work  in  Valparaiso,  as  it  is  for 
that  place  you  require  the  money."  After  much  prayer 


294  SIX  YEAES  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOK 

and  fasting,  during  which  latter  exercise  I  experienced 
great  blessings,  it  was  made  plain  to  me.  My  dear 
wife  was  consulted  by  letter,  and  she  consented  to  the 
short  separation  —  for  the  Master,  "  and  the  glory  of 
God," — as  she  added  in  her  written  reply.  "It  seems 
so  hard,"  she  said,  "  but  when  I  remember  Jesus  and 
the  work  here  in  Chili,  I  say,  Yes." 

From  Santiago  I  returned  to  our  home,  and  made 

preparation  for  the  journey. 

-.-* 

DIVIDE  SERVICES  AT  THE  COLOISTY. 

I  preached  in  Contulmo  once  more  before  leaving 
Chili,  and  I  had  the  great  satisfaction,  after  the  service 
was  closed,  to  have  a  brother  and  sister  come  up  to  me 
and  say :  "  We  will  continue  our  Sunday  services.  We 
will,  by  the  help  of  God,  go  and  hold  meetings  wherever 
we  are  invited."  The  first  appointment  for  the  following 
Sabbath  was  made  in  my  presence.  God  will  be  with 
them,  for  both  are  soundly  converted  to  God.  They 
are  now  waiting  for  the  time  to  come  that  they  shall  be 
able  to  call  upon  us  to  send  them  the  right  man  in  due 
season. 

Before  returning  to  Santiago,  I  visited  those  colonists 
who  had  since  arrived  from  Germany,  and  I  found  about 
one  hundred  families,  nearly  all  from  the  East  of  Ger- 
many. The  most  of  that  number  had  either  heard  me 
preach  the  Gospel  on  my  visit  to  East  Prussia,  or 


IK   SOUTH  AMERICA.  295 

through  others  heard  my  name  in  connection  with  this 
project  of  colonization,  so  I  felt  at  home  among  them, 
and  they  were  glad  to  see  me.  All  were  willing  to  sup- 
port a  preacher  as  soon  as  they  would  be  settled,  and  in 
some  way  open  a  market  for  their  produce. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  FUTURE  OF  CHILL  —  SOMETHING  ABOUT  THE 
LAND  AND  ITS  PEOPLE. 

IN  a  few  years  these  regions  will  present  a  very  dif- 
ferent look.  Towns  and  villages  are  springing  up  all 
over  the  Araucanian  territory,  so  that  even  now  the 
farmer  finds  a  market.  A  railroad  through  this  same 
country  will  be  completed  in  1887,  connecting  the  in- 
terior with  the  larger  cities  of  the  land,  and  with  all 
the  seaports  on  the  West  Coast.  Then  it  will  be  the 
time  for  us  to  take  up  this  work  in  the  interior,  not  only 
among  the  foreigners,  but  also  among  the  natives,  and 
the  country  will  produce  abundant  resources  for  our 
self-supporting  missions  among  the  people. 

The  people  of  Chili,  religiously,  are  in  a  sad  condi- 
tion. Three  hundred  years  ago  the  Spaniards  brought 
with  them  the  Roman  priests, —  the  worst  calamity  that 
can  befal  any  nation.  The  people  have  been  priest- 
ridden  ever  since,  and  the  result  to-day  is,  that  the  poor 
are  terribly  degraded,  and  in  the  lowest  sense,  supersti- 
tious, and  with  but  little  sense  of  honor;  while  the 
middle  classes  and  the  rich  are  marching  fast  toward 
infidelity.  They  are  nothing.  They  are  not  Catholics ; 

29(3 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  297 

but  from  the  standpoint  of  Romanism,  as  having  seen 
it  practised  by  its  representatives  for  three  hundred 
years,  they  judge  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  ''the 
Christ"  himself.  These  facts  make  the  work  a  hard 
one  —  more  difficult  than  the  work  among  the  heathen 
of  other  lands.  And  yet,  Chili  is  one  of  the  most  lib- 
eral countries  in  South  America,  and  foremost  in  inter- 
nal development,  and  most  settled  in  government ;  and 
the  recent  changes  that  have  taken  place  —  the  intro- 
duction of  the  civil  marriage  law,  the  legalizing  of  re- 
ligious worship  of  the  different  branches  of  the  Pro- 
testant Church  —  all  speak  well  for  Chili;  but  if  any 
one  has  watched  closely  the  recent  struggles  of  the 
"  Liberal  party  "  to  separate  church  and  state,  one  could 
not  help  but  see  that  it  was  not  simply  an  effort  to  get 
rid  of  Romanism,  but  to  get  rid  of  all  religious  obliga- 
tions —  to  get  rid  of  Jesus  Christ  —  to  get  rid  of  God, 
as  one  has  said,  "  I  defy  God  " ! 

Next  to  nothing  has  been  done  by  missionary  soci- 
eties to  avoid  this  tide  of  infidelity  which  bade  fair  to 
sweep  a  nation  out  of  existence  into  hell.  A  few  noble 
men,  like  Dr.  T.  of  Valparaiso,  and  Dr.  S.  of  the  Amer- 
ican Bible  Society,  have  exercised  an  influence  for  good 
that  should  not  be  underrated,  and  helped  on  the  coin- 
ing of  the  recent  remarkable  events  in  the  history  of 

Chili. 

When  seven  years  ago  this  grand  and  brave  and  God- 


298  SIX  YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

fearing  and  God-trusting  man,  William  Taylor,  sent 
down  to  the  coast  of  South  America,  forty-five  noble 
workers  —  preachers  and  teachers,  —  he  placed  them 
into  a  workshop  to  do  the  hardest  kind  of  work  that 
ever  missionaries  were  called  upon  to  do ;  but  a  work 
that  could  be  done  —  yes  —  can  be  done  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  I  say  the  hardest  kind  of  work,  considering  the 
resources  at  hand.  Not  the  resources  of  an  India.  With 
a  transient  foreign  population,  changing  every  few 
years,  and  not  even  caring  to  have  their  children  edu- 
cated in  this  country,  although  now  an  otter  was  made 
to  establish  good  schools, —  because  of  the  bad  influence 
their  children  were  exposed  to  —  the  influence  of 
badly-managed  native  children  —  the  influence  of 
the  corruption  that  foreigners  themselves  introduced 
into  the  country.  Here  we  found  no  English  laws  or 
English  language,  and  foreigners  not  expecting  nor  in- 
tending to  make  this  country  their  home,  and  a  country 
thoroughly  Romanized.  Now,  we  have  been  working 
hard  to  get  the  children  of  foreigners  into  our  schools, 
for  a  beginning ;  and  next,  to  offer  to  natives  the 
chances  for  a  liberal  education,  in  which  we  have 
grandly  succeeded;  and  have  mostly  natives  now  in 
our  schools.  Considering  the  aforesaid,  William  Taylor, 
as  well  as  his  workers,  soon  found  it  to  be  necessary  to 
establish  good  schools  everywhere,  and  use  them  as  an 
entering  wedge,  to  do  in  the  future  an  aggressive  reli- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  299 

gious  work.  Can  any  one  imagine  with  what  careful- 
ness, wisdom,  and  patience,  we  needed  to  do  this  work? 
No,  I  think  our  friends  cannot  fully  realize  this  feature 
in  its  every  aspect;  but  one  who  has  been  observing 
the  untiring,  incessant,  hard  labor  of  that  noble  band 
in  Copiapo,  Iquique,  Coquimbo,  Santiago,  and  Concep- 
cion,  will  well  understand  why  the  work  has  been  car- 
ried on  in  the  way  and  on  plans,  as  it  has  been  carried 
on.  But  the  time  has  now  come  that  the  dear  Lord 
will  relieve  us  a  bit, "  striking  with  the  same  old  sledge," 
the  same  "  old  wedge,"  that  we  placed  in  position  seven 
years  ago.  The  wedge  is  in  to  its  very  head,  and  things 
will  split,  and  we  must  make  room  for  it  —  we  must  en- 
large our  borders  —  enlarge  the  sphere  of  our  useful- 
ness. The  wedge  has  done  its  work,  and  that  band  of 
workers  has  to  face  the  turning-point  of  our  work  in 
South  America,  and  with  heavy,  yet  wonderfully  strong 
and  trusting  and  hopeful  hearts,  stand  waiting  to  see 
the  salvation  of  the  Lord  in  moving  the  hearts  of 
thousands  of  our  dear  friends  in  the  United  States,  to 
give,  and  to  liberally  give,  to  our  "  building,  fund,"  to 
line  this  coast  with  forts  for  Jesus,  for  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel. 

When  Bishop  Taylor  was  working  in  Coquimbo,  ma- 
king a  full  hand  at  the  carpenters'  bench,  he  felt  for  his 
noble  worl^rs  —  he  felt  for  his  beloved  South  America 
and  its  millions  of  unsaved  souls;  and  laying  down  the 


300  SIX  YEARS  WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

chisel  and  the  plane,  hastened  to  the  States.  Not  only 
Coquimbo  should  possess  a  school,  but  other  posts  of 
more  importance  must  have  the  same.  When  that  man 
of  God  organized  the  "  Transit  and  Building  Fund  So- 
ciety of  the  Taylor  Self-supporting  Missions,"  South 
America  was  uppermost  in  his  thought.  He  understood 
the  odds  against  us  there;  he  knew  something  of  the 
efforts  put  forth  to  maintain  the  field ;  he  knew  what 
tremendous  rents  we  had  to  pay  for  our  schools,  halls, 
and  parsonages ;  he  knew  how  hard  teachers  were  work- 
ed on  half  the  salary  that  others  were  getting.  Bro. 
Taylor  knew  something  about  how  unfortunate  we  have 
been  in  getting  out  proper  men  and  women  for  our 
"self-supporting  work,"  two-thirds  not  understanding, 
evidently,  the  meaning  of  "  self-supporting  " ;  and  he 
knew  what  dark  hours  we  passed  through,  and  what 
monies  had  to  be  raised  among  the  workers,  to  ship  the 
unfit  back  home.  I  am  not  here  to  judge  whose  fault  it 
is,  or  who  is  to  be  blamed  for  sending  persons  into  our 
field  who  are  not  fit,  or  returned  in  a  few  years,  not 
able  to  stand  the  financial  pressure ;  but  I  must  say  they 
are  those  "  who  sent  themselves."  But,  thanks  be  to 
God !  we  have  a  remnant  left  of  those  who  were  among 
the  first  sent  out  by  William  Taylor,  who  have  passed 
through  deep  waters ;  but,  by  the  grace  of  God,  have 
surmounted  every  obstacle  ;  and,  tried  in  the  fiery  fur- 
nace of  affliction,  and  polished  by  the  Spirit  of  burning 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  801 

and  faith,  they  stand  ready,  on  the  banks  of  the  great 
Pacific,  to  work  and  to  die  for  the  land  that  God  has 
given  them  to  go  up  and  possess.  Have  we  not  the  first 
claim  on  the  generosity  of  our  friends  at  home  ? 

If  not  for  our  sakes,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  our  Sav- 
iour, and  the  millions  of  the  people  of  South  America, 
come  and  help  us.  We  want  $25,000  for  our  Valpar- 
aiso chapel,  parsonage,  and  Seamen's  Coffee  and  Reading- 
room,  and  $50,000  for  our  Santiago  College.  These  are 
indispensable.  If  we  expect  to  carry  on  our  work  suc- 
cessfully, these  sums  must  be  forthcoming ;  and  laying 
down  our  request  at  Jesus'  feet,  we  believe  that  we  shall 
have  them. 

There  is  Bro.  Baxter,  working  hard  at  Callao  —  an 
important  station, — but  with  the  same  incumbrance  of 
paying  high  rents,  and  at  the  same  time  not  getting 
suitable  houses  to  carry  on  his  noble  work  on  shore,  and 
among  seamen  in  that  great  harbor.  We  believe  "  Our 
Father  is  rich  in  houses  and  lands,  and  holdeth  the 
wealth  of  the  world  in  His  hands,"  and  that  He  has  laid 
aside  a  portion  of  that  wealth  for  our  work  in  South 
America,  and  I  know  God  is  sending  me  to  the  States 
at  this  time  to  help  gather  it  in,  according  to  our  pres- 
ent need. 

NEEDED  WORKERS. 

What  will  follow  next,  is  the  demand  for  that  class 
of  godly  men  and  women  that  such  a  work  naturally 


302  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

would  call  for,  and  I  am  moved  to  say  that,  those  being 
called  upon  to  go  out,  should  help  our  committee  to 
avoid  serious  mistakes,  as  none  of  us  are  perfect  in 
judgment,  and  most  seriously  consider  the  matter  of 
coming  and  probably  remaining  for  life,  and  to  remain 
poor  (for  so  it  might  be)  from  a  financial  point  of  view. 
Many  have  come,  thinking  to  find  a  ready  work,  and 
were  disappointed.  Many  have  missed  the  comforts  of 
daily  life,  and  did  not  wait  for  things  to  change  ;  but  if 
the  experience  of  those  who  have  stood  from  the  begin- 
ning can  help  us,  I  think  something  might  and  ought 
to  be  said. 

There  has  been  one  young  man  who  has  worked  but 
a  few  months,  and  is  making  only  a  little  above  his 
board.  "  How  would  you  board  ?  "  a  strange  question, 
no  doubt ;  but  not  to  a  Taylor  missionary.  Put  in  a 
straw  tick,  and  wooden  chair ;  dispense  with  "  courses," 
and  a  cheap  and  healthful  fare  may  be  obtained.  That 
will  do  for  a  beginning.  But  doubtless  these  things  do 
not  occur  to  all  people's  minds,  and  they  might  as  well 
be  spoken  of  and  things  called  up  by  names,  and  price- 
list  furnished. 

BISHOP  TAYLOR'S  MOUNTAIN  •OATS. 

The  Bishop  wrote  to  me  one  day  something  about 
"  mountain  goats  living  on  the  rocks,  and  sniffing  the 
air."  My  heartfelt  reply  was  that  I  had  no  objections 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  303 

whatever  to  the  bill  of  fare,  except  that  I  thought  I 
would  not  grow  very  fat  upon  it.  After  all,  it  may  not 
be  a  good  condition  to  be  in,  for  a  "  Taylor  missionary 
self-supporting  basis."  When  I  first  began  in  Valpa- 
raiso, I  had  no  bedstead  to  put  my  bed  on,  but  I  man- 
aged to  "  borrow  "  one  after  a  while,  for  down  here  a 
man  must  first  build  up  a  credit,  before  being  able  to 
"  borrow."  In  nine  months,  however,  things  were  paid 
for;  and  now,  after  laboring  in  South  America  since 
December  '78,  I  am  graciously  permitted  to  take  steer- 
age passage  to  return  home  to  raise  money.  Glory  to 
God  for  such  a  privilege  I 

Now,  if  any  good  first-class  missionary  cannot  recon- 
cile himself  to  these  facts,  he  or  she  had  better  not 
come.  However,  as  to  the  continuancy  of  those  **  close- 
corners,"  I  might  add  it  is  but  for  a  season.  "  Have 
ye  lacked  anything?"  Bishop  Taylor  asked  me  one 
day.  —  "  No,  brother,  never ! "  was  the  joyful  answer. 
These  be  sweet  morsels,  and  not  one  of  us  would  per- 
mit any  one  to  take  them  from  us  for  all  the  world.  God 
doubtless  has  such  at  home,  who  will  come  and  enter 
upon  faithful  work  in  our  field,  and  help  take  this  coast 
for  Jesus ;  and  while  the  Church  at  home  is  straining 
every  nerve  io  raise  a  million  for  missions,  let  us  raise 
two,  one  on  each  side.  Furnish  the  money  for  our  nec- 
essary buildings,  and  we  will  engage  to  get  our  living 
among  the  people  where  we  labor. 


304  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

The  foreign  population,  —  such  as  North  Americans, 
Germans,  and  English,  —  for  the  most,  do  not  intend  to 
make  this    country  their  home.     It  is  true  that  some 
have  lived  here  from  twenty  to  thirty  years,  engaged 
in  business;  but  these   are   exceptions.     Others  leave 
this  country  when  they  have  money  sufficient  to  secure 
them  a  comfortable  living  in  the  old  country.     Some 
go  on  account  of  their  children,  —  if  not  grown  up  be- 
fore the  parents  are  able  to  return  to  Europe  or  the 
United  States,  they  send  their  children   to  school  to 
those  countries,  much  preferring  to  have  them  educated 
cut  of  the  country,  because  of  the  influence  of  the  na- 
tives, which  is  not  the  best.     However,  the  natives  to- 
day are  more  sensible  to  the  needs  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, and  while  they  strive  to  get  it,  and  thus  encour- 
age that  work  among  them,  they  will  soon  stand  on  a 
higher   platform,  and  the  foreign   element  will  feel  a 
higher  interest  in  educational  and  Christian  work  than 
they  have   shown   hitherto.     But   few   consider   Chili 
their  home,  and  their  beneficence  is  much  regulated  by 
it.     Large  sums  might  be  invested,  to  enable  other  so- 
cieties to  put  up  their  churches  and  mission  rooms ;  and 
but  for  this  the  means  might  be  raised  in  the  country 
itself,  for  all  the  buildings  we  need.     The  Roman  Cath- 
olics cannot  be  asked  to  help  us,  and  to  wait  until  they 
are  duly  prepared  to  give  large  sums,  would  cause  the 
work  to  be  limited  incalculably. 


TN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  305 

Bishop  Taylor,  in  his  book,  "  Our  South  American 
Cousins,"  gives  a  very  interesting  report  on  that  line, 
which  will  prove  the  correct  statement  of  the  aforesaid. 
(Chap.  xv.  p.  213.  It  is  given  in  the  words  of  the 
first  pastor  who  came  to  Chili  in  1845  —  Rev.  Dr.  Tram- 
bull).  He  says  as  follows:  "Being  ordained  for  the 
ministry  in  Valparaiso  in  1845, 1  sailed  for  that  place  in 
August,  and  arrived  on  Christmas  Day,  Dec.  25.  The 
prospect  was  anything  but  encouraging.  It  was  impos- 
sible for  six  months  to  secure  a  room  for  a  chapel,  until 
at  last  we  obtained  a  dark  and  diminutive  bedego  (store- 
house). This  has  been  our  trouble  during  my  tune  in 
Valparaiso";  but  he  goes  on  to  state  another  fact, 
which  corresponds  exactly  to  my  experience  in  1880-83. 
He  says :  "  At  the  end  of  six  months,  however,  the  din- 
ing-room of  the  Chili  hotel  was  offered,  which  was  com- 
modious for  an  audience  of  a  hundred.  At  the  end  of 
a  year  orders  came  from  the  owners  in  Santiago  to  va- 
cate the  place,  ou  religious  grounds."  Now,  thus  the 
priests  used  their  influence  in  just  that  direction ;  and 
in  my  time  — 1880-83  —  we  were  ejected  in  the  same 
way,  or  exorbitant  rents  asked.  Now  Dr.  Trumluill 
built  a  church,  but  not  until  he  had  labored  nine  y»-;n-s 
among  the  English.  In  my  work  the  people  are  ready 
now  to  move  into  a  home,  if  I  had  one  to  offer  them. 
However,  this  first  church  was  so  small,  that  in  18G9 
another  was  built,  and  the  old  place  sold  to  the  Ger- 


306  SIX  YEAKS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

mans.  The  cost  of  the  new  church  was  $57,000,  Chili 
money,  and  out  of  that  sum  $26,000  was  paid  for  the 
lot  alone,  and  837,000  expended  for  the  building.  It  is 
found,  then,  that  land  is  extremely  high,  and  the  folio  AV- 
ing  will  show  something  of  the  reason.  Bishop  Taylor, 
in  his  book,  says  (Chap,  xv.) :  "  It  is  a  city  built  on 
more  than  'seven  hills,'  and  precipitous  bluffs  facing 
the  ocean.  The  city  has  but  two  or  three  level  streets 
(near  the  ship-landing  and  the  business  part  of  the 
city).  This  level  land,  on  which  stand  all  the  public 
buildings,  and  most  of  the  business  houses,  was  mainly 
recovered  from  the  sea."  At  this  present  time,  there  is 
an  extensive  work  of  that  kind  going  on,  and  several 
acres  of  ground  will  be  gained ;  but  the  prices  for  land 
will  be  very  high,  and  on  it  we  must  build,  in  order  to 
make  the  movement  in  some  degree  attractive.  Now, 
money  should  not  be  the  object  to  keep  us  from  carrying 
on  that  work  in  Valparaiso.  We  must,  by  all  means,  save 
some ;  and  if  we  can  add  to  the  numbers  of  the  church 
by  raising  a  home  for  the  mission,  we  are  bound  to  go 
ahead,  and  in  the  name  of  God,  get  the  money.  There 
was  a  time  when  men  said  it  was  unsafe  for  any  one  to 
go  to  the  "  Maintop,"  for  they  were  sure  to  be  caught 
by  the  parson,  and  rumsellers  did  poor  business.  Now, 
I  thank  God  for  that  spirit  among  the  people.  I  feel 
we  must  improve  it  until  that  part  of  the  Lord's  vine- 
yard is  cleansed  of  those  terrible  dens  of  vice.  We  de- 


IX   SOUTH   AMERICA.  307- 

sire  to  make  it  proverbial,  as  in  the  time  when  a  thief 
stole  the  horse  of  a  Methodist  preacher,  and  he,  mount- 
ing with  a  few  farmers,  overtook  the  thief,  who,  when 
he  was  bound,  and  heard  that  the  horse  belonged  to  a 
Methodist  preacher,  said:  "If  he  had  known  tins  fact 
he'd  never  have  touched  the  horse,  for  he  knew  that 
they  would  be  after  him  to  the  end  of  the  world,  and 
into  hell  to  get  hold  of  him."  Amen  !  praise  the  Lord ! 
May  God  intensify  the  desire  of  Christians  at  home,  to 
help  put  missionaries  in  the  way  of  doing  more  work 
for  God  in  reaching  souls,  by  giving  to  such  an  object 
as  this  011  my  hands  now. 

I  never  felt  so  in  my  life,  as  I  feel  at  present,  since  I 
am  away  for  a  season  from  Chili.  I  desire  to  hasten 
back,  for  I  love  that  work — it  has  become  a  part  of 
myself.  Yes,  I  must  look  after  my  family.  It  is  true 
that  I  have  often  been  in  danger ;  but  oh,  how  at  home 
I  feel  in  this  work !  It  is  the  work  God  called  me  to, 
and  I  do  love  it.  I  never  loved  it  so  much  until  one 
evening,  while  calling  at  different  gambling  and  dancing 
houses,  I  saw  a  suspicious-looking  individual  following 
me  close  behind.  He  was  a  tall,  powerful  native,  and  I 
noticed  he  was  closely  watching  me.  I  did  not  like  the 
way  he  acted ;  but  never  dreamed  of  what  he  really  in- 
tended to  do.  When  I  walked  down  a  narrow,  dark 
passage,  to  reach  the  mission-room,  to  open  my  meeting, 
I  was  suddenly  confronted,  and  the  man  drew  a  long 


308  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

knife,  about  one  foot  long,  and  made  the  attempt  to 
plunge  it  into  my  heart.  I  wore  an  overcoat  at  the 
,  time,  because  in  it  I  had  five  large  pockets,  purposely 
*  made  to  carry  quantities  of  tracts,  in  as  many  different 
languages;  and  when  the  man  struck,  he  seemed  to 
know  where  the  heart  was ;  but  the  knife  met  a  large 
package  of  tracts  that  were  in  my  pocket,  and  the 
shock  I  received  caused  me  to  stagger  back  a  little  dis- 
tance/ Just  then  I  heard  the  shriek  of  a  woman,  and 
in  the  next  moment  the  galloping  of  a  horse  close  by ; 
and  in  that  moment,  when  the  ruffian  ran  toward  me 
for  another  trial,  he  was  suddenly  struck  down  by  a 
policeman  on  horseback.  Now,  this  was  done  quicker 
than  I  am  able  to*write  it  down,  and  during  that  time, 
when  first  the  man  stood  in  front  of  me,  until  now,  not 
a  word  had  escaped  my  lips.  A  woman  just  turning  a 
corner,  stepped  into  the  passage  where  I  was  struck, 
gave  the  signal  to  a  policeman,  who  was  halting  on  his 
horse,  close  by  in  the  next  street;  and  he,  quick  as 
lightning,  put  the  spur  to  his  horse,  and  appeared  "  just 
in  time."  The  knife  fell  from  the  grasp  of  the  assas- 
sin, and  the  woman  picked  it  up  and  handed  it  to  me, 
and  I  could  see  it  was  a  terrible  weapon.  Before  the 
man  recovered,  he  was  bound  with  thongs  and  tied  to 
the  saddle  of  the  horse.  Then  the  policeman  request- 
ed me  to  follow  him  at  once  to  the  police  station ;  but 
being  well  known  to  him,  I  just  gave  him  my  card,  and 


IX  SOUTH  AMERICA.  309 

told  him  that  I  had  a  meeting  at  the  room,  and  that  the 
men  were  waiting  for  me.  He  ordered  me  to  appear 
the  following  morning  at  court. 

The  unfortunate  prisoner  was  dragged  off,  and  I  hur- 
ried off  to  my  little  mission-room.  It  was  filled  with 
anxious  souls  —  none  knew  what  had  passed  outside ; 
but  when  I  told  them  that  God  had  spared  me  to  come, 
and  once  more  bring  the  message  of  salvation,  as  one 
risen  from  the  dead,  the  power  of  God  came  down  up- 
on those  assembled,  in  such  a  wondrous  way  as  was 
never  witnessed  in  our  room  before.  It  was  the  most 
solemn  hour  of  my  life,  and  the  Lord  saved  five  precious 
souls  that  night.  From  that  night  I  have  a  different 
experience  in  my  feelings  toward  tlfat  work.  Oh,  if  I 
could  be  able  to  frame  it  in  language !  but  I  cannot.  I 
will  say  this :  my  soul  is  united  to  that  work  in  Valpa- 
raiso, and  I  must  hasten  back.  I  love  it;  yes,  Lord, 
Thou  knowest  I  love  Thee  and  it;  for  thou  hast  surely 
called  me  to  do  that  work.  Glory  be  to  His  precious 
name  —  the  name  of  Jesus ! 

The  next  day  the  poor  prisoner  was  sent  to  the  pen- 
itentiary. He  made  no  excuse,  except  that  he  said  I 
had  attempted  to  stab  him  first. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MY  PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE.— WONDERFUL  SALVATION. 

MY  soul  has  been  drinking  all  the  while  from  the  in- 
exhaustible fountain  of  God's  mighty  love,  and  I  am 
already  amply  repaid  for  the  work  I  have  undertaken ; 
but  others  must  drink  and  know  my  God,  and  what  His 
glory  is.  And  if  by  means  of  this  book  the  Lord  has 
opened  to  me  a  way  for  the  support  of  my  family  while 
away  from  Chili,  and  to  pay  my  own  travelling  expen- 
ses while  in  this  country,  it  is  only  the  one  side  of  what 
it  is  to  accomplish,  and  my  Jesus  and  my  Saviour  will 
take  care  of  the  whole. 

"O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good,  for  his  mercy  en- 
dureth  forever.  Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  say  so,  whom  he  hath 
redeemed  from  the  hand  of  the  enemy ;  and  gathered  them  out  of  the 
lands,  from  the  east  and  from  the  west,  from  the  north  and  from  the 
south.  They  wandered  in  the  wilderness  in  a  solitary  way;  they 
found  no  city  to  dwell  in ;  hungry  and  thirsty,  their  soul  fainted  in 
them ;  then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  and  he  delivered 
them  out  of  their  distresses.  And  he  led  them  forth  by  the  right  way, 
that  they  might  go  to  a  city  of  habitations.  O  that  men  would  praise 
the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  chil- 
dren of  men.  For  he  satisfieth  the  longing  soul,  and  filleth  the  hun- 
gry soul  with  goodness. 

"O  God,  my  heart  is  fixed:  I  will  sing  and  give  praise,  even  with 
310 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  311 

my  sjlory.  Awake,  psaltery  and  harp,  I  myself  will  awake  early.  I 
will  praise  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the  people,  and  I  will  sing  praises 
unto  thee  among  the  nations,  for  thy  mercy  is  great  above  the  heav- 
ens, and  thy  truth  reacheth  unto  the  clouds.  Yea,  I  will  tell  what  the 
Lord  has  done  for  my  soul." 

EARLY  RELIGIOUS  TRAINING. 

In  February,  1875,  I  heard  for  the  first  time  the  Gos- 
pel preached  to  sinners,  in  this  country.  My  early  re- 
ligious training,  if  training  it  could  be  called,  I  received 
under  the  hands  of  a  minister  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
in  Germany.  He  was  an  eloquent  man,  but  Christless ; 
and  I  do  not  remember  a  single  sentence  of  any  of  his 
sermons  preached  in  my  hearing.  They  were,  however, 
few,  as  I  attended  the  public  services  perhaps  only  three 
times  in  the  eighteen  years  of  my  life  in  "Germany. 
Thus  my  religious  "  training  "  consisted  of  one  hour  a 
week,  during  a  period  of  six  weeks  prior  to  my  "  con- 
firmation." When  the  pastor  laid  his  hands  upon  my 
head  to  bless  me,  and  I  partook  of  the  sacred  cup,  I 
was  already  a  hardened  and  careless  sinner ;  but  the 
music  of  the  organ,  together  with  the  solemnity  of  the 
occasion,  caused  tears  to  start  to  my  eyes  for  a  moment ; 
then  all  was  gone,  never  to  return  again  for  many  years. 
I  do  not  even  remember  the  verse  of  Scripture  that  was 
given  me  before  leaving  the  altar,  and  the  certificate 
was  soon  lost.  When  I  returned  to  an  uncle's  house,  I 
received  some  cigars,  with  the  words :  "  Now  you  are  a 


312  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

man,  and  are  allowed  to  smoke  openly  before  men,  with- 
out fear  of  being  punished."  I  felt  proud,  and  that 
was  all ;  the  day  of  confirmation  had  passed,  and  I  en- 
tered upon  a  career  of  unrestrained  pleasure  and  sinful- 
ness,  and  outspoken  infidelity. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  MY  MOTHER'S  LIFE. 

My  poor  mother  was  much  grieved  because  of  my 
conduct,  and  often  wept,  although  it  was  long  before  I 
knew  it.  My  mother  I  loved  dearly,  but  her  wonderful 
patience,  her  noble  character,  together  with  her  high  so- 
cial refinement,  were  unbearable  to  me.  In  her  pres- 
ence alone  I  could  be  good,  I  thought ;  yet  I  did  not 
wish  to  be  in  her  presence.  With  irresistible  force  it 

• 

drove  me  away,  to  my  pleasures,  to  my  companions. 
There  came  a  time  when  I  looked  upon  my  mother  in 
wonder.  I  could  not  understand  how  a  human  being 
could  be  so  good,  so  pure,  so  gentle,  as  she  was ;  and  I 
envied  her,  and  a  longing  after  such  a  life  would  spring 
up  in  my  soul ;  so  that  often,  upon  my  bed,  I  caught 
myself  bitterly  weeping, —  only  for  a  moment,  however, 
—  as  soon  as  I  became  conscious  of  the  state  of  my 
feelings,  I  tore  myself  away  with  an  effort.  Then  I 
would  for  some  time  shun  the  eyes  of  my  mother.  I 
feared  she  would  see  what  was  going  on  within  me. 
The  time  came  when  I  found  out  that  she  prayed,  at 
times.  I  feared  her  now,  —  that  is,  I  strove  hard  to 


IN  SOUTH   AMERICA. 

hide  my  bad  conduct  from  her ;  yet  I  knew  that  she 
was  only  too  well  acquainted  with  me,  and  I  would  at 
times  feel,  oh,  if  only  mother  would  come  to  me  and 
tell  me  something  about  myself !  if  she  would  only  tell 
me  to  my  face  that  I  could  not  deceive  her !     I  suffered 
now  for  years,  untold  torments,  for  I  felt  I  loved  her, 
and  I  would  not  have  grieved  her  for  anything  in  the 
world ;  and  yet,  I  could  not  resist  sin.     I  stood  alone, 
without  God,  without  Christ,  without  hope  in  the  world. 
I  had  never  heard  her  utter  a  harsh  word ;  I  had  never 
seen  her  impatient ;  but  when,  one  day,  I  had  grieved 
her  very  much,  she  came  toward  me  with  such  a  care- 
worn look  upon  her,  looking  at  me  with  such  piercing 
eyes,  yet  so  imploringly,  it  seemed  I  could  not  bear  it, 
and  bitter  remorse  gripped  my  soul.    Before  I  could  turn 
away,  she  was  at  my  side,  and  had  caught  my  hand 
and  held  it  in  both  hers.     I  did  not  dare  look  her  in  the 
face,  for  I  thought  her  to  be  an  angel  in  the  form  of  my 
own  dear  mother.    She  softly  called  my  name, "  Oscar  I " 
and  I  looked  up  into  her  eyes.     Oh,  that  moment !     It 
stands  before  my  soul  to-day.     When  I  looked  into 
those  blue  eyes,  so  full  of  grief,  and  filled  with  tears  to 
overflowing,  and  the  hot  drops  falling  down  upon  my 
hand  as  she  held  it  in  her  dear  hands,  I  wished  my  si- If 
dead.     Yes,  I  wished  then  I  had  died.     I  was  so  sick  at 
heart  — so  tired  of  life.     Why  was  it  that  God  did  not 
send  me  a  ray  of  light  then  ?     But  not  a  word  dropped 


314  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

from  her  lips.  My  hand  dropped,  lifeless,  almost,  to 
my  side,  and  my  mother  had  turned  and  left  the  room. 
I  stood  alone. 

MY    INFIDELITY  SHAKEN, —  TRYING  TO  GET  AWAY 
FROM  GOD. 

In  that  hour  I  knew  there  was  a  God,  and  this  was 
burned  down  deep  into  my  soul.  The  life  of  my 
mother  stood  in  living  flames  of  fire  before  me.  I 
was  crushed  to  the  earth  by  the  mighty  evidence  it 
furnished,  and  now  I  strove,  oh,  so  hard,  day  and  night, 
to  free  myself  from  this  weight  of  conviction  which 
threatened  to  madden  my  brain.  I  drowned  my  feverish 
heart  in  the  cooling  ocean  of  pleasures,  but  only  to 
increase  the  raging  of  the  flames  within. 

Dissatisfied  with  everybody  and  myself,  I  rushed 
headlong  down  the  road  to  destruction.  My  home 
became  too  small  for  me  —  I  had  no  rest.  Day  and 
night  my  mother  seemed  to  stand  before  me,  and  I  must 
look  upon  her  wherever  I  stood,  wherever  I  went, —  and 
then  the  force  of  the  fact,  "  There  is  a  God !  "  I  could 
not  abate  it.  Miserable  and  sick  at  heart,  and  my 
infidel  reasoning  not  able  to  cure  the  wound  that  I 
had  received,  and  angry  with  the  world  because  of  its 
miserable  weakness,  I  made  a  resolve,  as  a  last  remedy, 
to  flee  away  from  God — to  abandon  myself  entirely; 
but  not  at  home  —  not  so,  that  my  poor  mother  should 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  315 

ever  know  what  had  become  of  her  unhappy  boy,  whom 
she  loved  dearest  on  earth.  I  would  go  to  North 
America.  I  stopped  only  a  moment  to  think,  "  What 
will  she  say?"  and  then  I  struck  the  cruel  blow. 

I  left  the  city,  and  then  I  wrote  a  letter,  for  I  did  not 
dare  to  look  at  her  face.  To  my  great  astonishment, 
the  answer  was  in  the  affirmative.  I  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  it.  Was  it  pride  ?  I  did  not  know. 
Was  it  that  her  love  to  me  was  no  longer  the  same  ? 
Oh,  I  was  so  miserable  once  more ;  for  while  I  thought 
a  mother  still  loved  me,  I  .might  bear  to  live,  if  even  in 
sin  and  shame.  I  hurried  home.  Preparations  had 
already  been  made.  Everything  that  such  a  mother 
could  do  had  already  been  done  for  me,  and  my  trunk 
stood  ready.  But  the  love  of  my  mother  had  increased. 
When  I  saw  her  she  had  faded  away,  and  how  loving 
and  kind  she  was !  I  felt  the  hardness  of  my  heart,  and 
for  a  time  I  was  afraid  of  myself.  But  soon  an  effort 
set  me  on  my  feet  again,  and  I  thought  I  was  strong : 
then  a  faint  glimmer  of  a  desire  would  spring  up  to  be 
a  better  man ;  but  only  to  relapse  into  thoughts  of  self. 

A  BROKEN-HEARTED  MOTHER. 

The  day  of  departure  arrived.  Father  and  mother 
accompanied  me  to  the  station,  Berlin  to  Hamburg.  I 
bade  them  good-by,  as  I  felt  it  to  be  forever,  or  rather, 
thought  nothiiig  concerning  my  ever  coming  back.  As 


316  SIX   YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

the  train  moved,  my  mother  reached  out  her  hands 
once  more  and  said :  "  My  Oscar,  be  a  better  boy ! " 
Then  she  looked  upward,  but  fainted,  and  sank  in  the 
arms  of  my  father.  These  were  her  last  words  on  earth 
to  me,  and  thus  I  saw  her  for  the  last  time  this  side  of 
heaven.  I  heard  the  words,  and  I  saw  her  faint ;  but  I 
had  no  tears,  and  I  strove  in  vain  to  seek  relief. 

On  the  5th  of  August,  1872,  I  arrived  in  Liverpool, 
and  on  the  10th  I  embarked  on  the  steamship  St.  Louis 
for  New  Orleans,  La.,  where  we  arrived  safely  on  the 
1st  of  September.  I  found,  of  course,  things  much 
different  from  what  I  expected,  and  work  I  would  not, 
for  a  long  time.  But  at  last,  when  all  my  resources  had 
been  exhausted,  and  no  hope  of  obtaining  money 
without  work  could  be  entertained,  I  walked  forty  miles, 
down  the  Mississippi  River,  and  began  work  on  a  sugar 
plantation.  A  German  of  my  type  had  induced  me  to 
go  with  him,  promising  me  employment  through  a 
friend,  in  the  sugar-house.  I  had  been  deceived,  how- 
ever, and  I  was  compelled  to  work  in  the  field.  In 
three  days  after,  I  was  thrown  out  of  the  lodging-house, 
sick  with  the  fever,  and  unable  to  work.  Somehow,  I 
managed  to  reach  New  Orleans,  and  I  was  picked  up 
on  the  street  and  sent  to  the  hospital.  A  most  miserable 
life  followed  now.  For  more  than  a  year  I  was  in  the 
hospital,  off  and  on.  I  had  become  totally  unfit  for 
any  kind  of  work ;  every  three  or  four  weeks  I  was 


D*  SOUTH   AMERICA.  317 

taken  to  the  hospital  again,  where  I  stayed,  perhaps 
a  week  or  more.  Only  half  restored,  I  left  the  hospital, 
for  I  had  no  rest,  and  upon  my  bed  the  most  horrible 
thoughts  tormented  me.  I  felt  I  was  forsaken  and  alone. 
I  thought  above  all  other  things,  about  my  mother,  so 
far  away  from  me.  Memory  was  consuming  me  with  a 
slow  fire,  and  yet  I  was  not  relieved, —  I  still  lived. 

IN  AMERICA. —  SICK  AND  IN  RAGS. 

In  those  hours  I  thought  death  would  be  a  relief, — 
I  mean  those  hours  when  I  wished  to  work  and  could 
not,  and  when  I  walked  like  a  shadow  through  the 
streets  of  the  city,  and  my  eyes  fell  by  and  by  on  ragged 
clothing  and  torn  boots, —  I  mean  those  hours  when  I 
looked  into  the  yards  of  private  dwellings,  to  see 
whether  wood  was  piled  up  there,  that  I  might  work 
for  a  bit  of  food.  It  is  true  I  had  not  much  appetite, 
but  just  enough  to  desire  to  quench  the  craving  of 
hunger.  Just  a  little  was  necessary ;  but  I  was  too 
proud  to  ask  for  it.  Then  those  moments  when  I  did 
begin  to  cut  wood,  and  the  axe  would  sink  from  my 
grasp,  and  I  fell  down  on  the  heap,  bitterly  weeping, 
and  unable  to  rise.  Then  a  charitable  hand  would 
touch  me,  and  lead  me  to  the  street,  and  send  me  again 
to  the  hospital.  And  in  those  hours,  when  I  \\islu.l 
for  death, —  what  if  God  had  then  cut  me  off?  Oli, 
how  my  soul  blesses  the  God  of  heaven  that  in 


318  SIX  YEAES  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOK 

mercy  He  permitted  me  to  live  at  all,  and  when  He 
permitted  me  to  sink  so  deep  in  degradation  and  sin, 
to  finally  raise  me  up,  to  give  me  life  and  peace  and 
joy,  and  entrust  to  me  the  oracles  of  God,  to  preach  the 
everlasting  Gospel.  It  is  to  the  glory  of  Jesus,  my 
Saviour,  for  ever  and  ever ! 

And  how  could  I  regain  health  and  strength  again  ? 
I  had  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  recovering, —  those 
terrible  fevers  would  not  loose  their  hold  on  me ;  and  how 
did  I  spend  my  nights  ?  Oh,  wretched  life  of  sin,  away 
from  God,  no  one  pitied  me  I  I  thought  I  needed 
sympath}7-  —  human  sympathy  — -  and  I  cursed  mankind. 
My  nights  were  spent  in  the  empty  cars  on  the  railroad 
track,  shaking  with  ague,  and  nothing  but  rags  to  cover 
my  frame.  The  hand  of  God  was  heavy  upon  me,  but 
He  knew  me  best.  God  knew  best  what  was  in  me  — 
He  knew  to  apply  the  medicine.  It  was  bitter,  and  I 
was  farther  away  from  God  than  ever,  and  yet  wanted 
it  so.  I  wanted  to  get  away  from  Him,  but  I  did  not 
want  to  suffer  like  that.  I  did  not  want  to  believe  in 
Him,  but  I  cursed  Him  to  His  face  !  I  did  not  want  to 
know  anything  of  God,  but  I  blamed  Him  for  the 
misery  in  which  I  was  now,  and  cast  up  to  Him  my 
education,  my  breeding ;  and  now  to  be  so  shamefully 
reduced !  Oh,  I  found  it  hard  to  fight  against  God ! 
I  would  rage,  and  by  force  shake  off  my  weakness  and 
disease ;  but  my  sins  and  my  deserted  home  rose  now 


IN  SOUTH  AMERICA.  319 

like  mountains  up  before  me,  and  I  sank  back  in 
despair.  But  at  last  I  made  an  effort  to  escape  this 
terrible  climate.  Sick  at  heart,  and  feeble  in  body,  [ 
left  this  State,  walking  on  foot,  but  now  and  then, 
during  the  night,  trying  to  get  on  some  train,  and 
sitting  outside  as  best  I  could,  between  the  cars,  until 
I  was  detected  by  some  one,  and  compelled  to  walk 
again.  Thus  I  reached  the  State  of  O. :  and  now 
deliverance  should  come.  May  I  be  spared  the  bitter 
remembrance  of  the  past;  but  notwithstanding,  God 
must  be  glorified,  and  His  sweet  presence  stills  the 
tears,  and  causes  me  in  the  midst  of  them,  to  rejoice 
with  joy  and  singing.  If  so  be  that  the  fountains  of 
the  deep  break  up  once  more,  the  floods  of  heavenly 
glory  are  overwhelmingly  precious,  and  I  join  the  chorus 
of  fire,  Redeemed,  redeemed,  yes,  redeemed  through  the 
blood,  the  precious  blood  of  the  Lamb  Christ  Jesus, 
from  all  the  filthiness  and  sins  of  my  life,  and  cleansed 
from  all  indwelling  corruption  through  sanctification  by 

faith. 

LIGHT  FROM  CALVARY'S  CROSS. 

Suffice  it,  then,  to  say:  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  was 
brought  to  me.  Curiosity  led  me  to  hear  "common 
people  "  preach,  and  to  see  a  woman  pray.  Dear  Fa- 
ther Webb,  dear  Sister  Joice,  how  can  I  help  mention- 
ing their  names,  that  are  so  dear  to  me  on  earth  I  with 
my  tears  I  would  burn  them  into  these  pages;  for  has 


320  SIX  YEAKS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

not  God  found  them  worthy  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life, 
and  shall  I  not  look  upon  them  once  more  in  the  pres- 
ence of  my  God,  on  His  white  throne  ?  Shall  I  not  be 
there  when  they  shall  bear  me  in  their  arms  and  lay  me 
down,  a  trophy,  down  at  Jesus'  feet,  as  a  brand  plucked 
from  the  fire  ? 

The  former  was  an  employee  of  one  of  the  railroad 

companies  at  C ,  and  the  dear  sister  a  companion  in 

the  labors  of  love. 

After  six  long  weeks,  I  felt  constrained  to  bow  down 
for  the  first  time  before  God.  I  could  not  keep  away 
from  the  meetings.  I  must  go  to  hear,  although  others 
laughed  at  me  and  mocked  me.  But  while  I  look  up  to 
God  with  thankful  heart  for  this  help,  I  bless  His  name 
for  the  hour  when  first  I  knelt  down  in  prayer,  after  the 
brother  had  spoken  on  Christ's  death  on  the  cross.  I 
could  bear  it  all ;  but  when  he  told  how  that  Christ  had 
said :  "  Father,  forgive  these  murderers,  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do,"  I  could  bear  it  no  longer,  —  I 
turned,  smitten  to  the  heart,  to  see  whether  I  could  rise 
and  go  away,  to  be  alone.  But  just  then  Sister  J.  knelt 
down  right  beside  me,  and  all  present  were  asked  to 
join  in  prayer.  She  prayed,  and  it  seemed  she  prayed 
for  me  alone.  I  felt  it,  yes,  I  was  not  mistaken — she 
named  me  to  God.  Oh,  how  I  felt  the  eye  of  God 
piercing  me  that  moment,  when  this  sister  prayed :  "  O 
God !  save  this  young  man !  save  him  now,  and  put 
Thine  everlasting  arm  beneath  him  !  " 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  321 

My  heart  was  broken  to  pieces  under  the  stroke  of 
the  hammer  of  God's  wondrous  love.  Still  there  was 
darkness,  but  I  seemed  to  stretch  out  my  hand  and 
grope,  yet  quickly  I  would  withdraw  my  hand  and  say: 
"You  are  not  meant,  don't  think  it  for  a  moment." 
Then  my  sins  came  rushing  forward.  I  could  bear  it 
no  longer.  I  started  to  my  feet  and  made  for  my  room. 
But  the  brother  had  watched  me  well.  lie  met  me 
just  in  time  in  front  of  the  door,  and  taking  one  of  my 
hands,  he  asked,  imploringly :  "  Young  man,  will  you 
be  a  Christian?" 

When  I  was  able  to  look  up,  I  seemed  that  moment 
to  understand  the  question.  Like  a  flash  it  crossed  my 
darkened  soul ;  but  I  had  caught  it.  It  was  that  I  had 
tried  to  grasp  during  prayer  a  moment  ago.  Yes,  glory 
to  God !  I  knew,  now,  Christ  had  died  for  me,  and 
stood  to  break  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  in 
my  behalf.  I  saw  in  flaming  letters  before  me,  the 
words  of  myvown  Saviour,  "  It  is  finished  I "  I  firmly 
grasped  the  brother's  hand,  and  said :  "  By  the  help  of 
God,  I  will ! "  Oh,  how  I  wished  that  moment  that 
the  good  brother  would  wait  and  talk  with  me ;  but  the 
Lord  knew  better  what  was  wanted,  —  he  was  prevent- 
ed, and  left  me  to  myself ;  only  saying  these  words, 
which  I  will  not  forget  any  more:  "Remember,  every 
night  at  twelve  o  'clock  I  am  on  my  knees  praying  for 
you.  Until  next  Sunday  I  am  nighMvatch  all  the  week, 
in  the  station. 


322  SIX  YEARS  WITH  WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

A  PERSONAL  FIGHT  WITH  SATAN.  —  THE  TERRIBLE- 
NESS  OF  SIN. 

I  entered  my  room  and  thought  to  pray  for  the  first 
time  —  earnestly  to  pray  that  God  for  Christ's  sake 
might  forgive  me  my  sins.  When  I  knelt  down,  it  ^cein- 
ed  I  could  not  speak  the  name  of  God,  and  great  dark- 
ness fell  upon  me.  The  load  of  sin  was  too  great  for 
me,  and  I  was  in  agony,  and  struggled  for  utterance, 
but  the  more  I  struggled  to  pray,  the  more  terrible  ap- 
peared my  sins.  I  began  again  to  bemoan  myself,  and 
wept  because  I  was  so  miserable  and  unhappy.  Still 
my  sins  rose  up  before  me  again,  and  brought  before  me 
the  fact  that  these  were  the  cause  of  all,  and.  that  I 
must  have  peace  with  God.  Thus  I  wrestled  and  pray- 
ed, and  agonized,  yet  no  light  came.  I  could  not  bring 
myself  to  the  point  to  exercise  faith,  and  perhaps  I  was 
not  quite  letting  myself  go,  or  had  not  yet,  from  my 
heart,  renounced  the  world.  I  was  not  yet  humble, 
and  God,  in  His  mercy,  smote  me  still.  I  cried  out : 
"  Slay  me,  but  save  me ! " 

I  lay  thus  in  my  room  until  Friday  afternoon,  at  four 
p.  M.  I  had  taken  but  little  food  all  this  time,  and  I 
felt  my  strength  giving  way.  But  I  was  determined 
not  to  let  go.  I  said  to  myself,  continually :  "  Better 
die  than  live  a  moment  in  sin."  I  was  feeble  in  body ; 
I  could  not  bear  any  more  strain,  —  weary  and  tired,  I 


IN  SOUTH   AMEKICA.  823 

sat  on  my  bed,  when  once  more  I  knelt  in  prayer,  and 
then,  as  never  before,  I  cried  out  to  God  in  the  words 
of  the  Scripture  which  I  had  so  often  heard:  "God  ho 
merciful  to  me,  a  sinner!"  and  like  a  flood  of  light  it 
dawned  upon  me,  and  I  added:  "  Yes,  Lord,  right  now 
I  believe !  I  believe  ! " 

The  work  was  done.  The  load  of  sin  was  lifted  off. 
I  was  free,  and  I  knew  it.  I  jumped  up  front  where  I 
was  kneeling,  and  praised  God  with  a  loud  voice, — so 
loud  that  all  in  the  house  could  hear  me,  and  I  was  so 
happy  that  I  laughed  and  wept  at  the  same  time. 
Some  of  the  people  in  the  house  looked  at  me  in  aston- 
ishment. Then  I  heard  one  young  man  say:  "Oh,  he 
is  crazy!  He  '11  be  all  right  soon,  and  we'll  have  him 
back  among  the  old  friends."  I  replied  at  once,  and 
said :  "  No,  never !  You  may  have  all  the  friends,  all 
the  world,  and  all  that  is  in  the  world,  but  I  have 
Christ ;  and,  thanks  be  to  God,  I  have  Him  now !  "  I 
was  converted:  I  belonged  to  God,  and  more,  I  had 
said  on  my  knees,  "  Lord,  I  will  preach  Thy  Gospel  to 
every  creature  ! "  and  the  Lord  held  me  to  my  word. 

Every  day  for  about  three  weeks,  I  had  been  pi-runt- 
ed to  read  the  Bible  and  exhort  the  prisoners  at  the 
county  jail  in  the  city.  God  blessed  me  in  these  laliors, 
and  gave  me  many  precious  souls.  Thus  the  Lord  pit- 
pared  me  to  work  among  the  lost  and  the  lowest,  right 
from  the  beginning  of  my  Christian  course.  The  Bible, 


324  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

which  had  never  come  to  my  hand  before,  was  my  com- 
panion day  and  night  now,  and  I  devoured  its  contents. 
My  soul  was  full  of  joy  and  praises  to  God. 

One  day,  however,  a  former  companion  provoked  me 
to  anger,  and  oh,  how  miserable  I  was  when  I  felt  it 
spring  up  within  me  I  I  prayed  to  God  at  once,  to  help 
me,  and  I  was  helped  instantly,  so  that  the  young  man 
did  not  perceive  what  was  going  on  within  me.  But 
when  he  continued  troubling  me,  the  same  uprising 
came  back  and  I  felt  sorry.  I  prayed,  but  I  found  it 
would  overcome  me.  I  did  not  know  what  to  do,  yet  I 
prayed.  But  there  came  a  moment,  suddenly,  and 
quicker  than  I  can  tell,  when  I  raised  my  hand  and 
struck  the  man  in  his  face.  Long  I  had  withstood  the 
rising  of  my  temper,  and  now  I  was  unhappy  again, 
under  condemnation.  I  hurried  to  my  room  and  there 
prayed,  and  repented  of  what  I  had  done.  I  felt  terri- 
bly, for  I  thought  nothing  should  ever  come  up  between 
me  and  my  God  any  more.  I  would  serve  Him  who 
had  done  so  much  for  me,  to  the  end  of  my  life,  cost 
what  it  may.  I  was  happy  and  satisfied  once  more,  al- 
though I  felt  ashamed  and  grieved  that  I  had  so  soon 
offended  the  loving  Saviour,  and  I  prayed 'earnestly  that 
I  might  be  kept  watching,  and  looking  to  Jesus.  I  read 
about  Peter  on  the  water,  walking,  and  I  thought  this 
stood  for  a  warning  to  me  not  to  do  like  him ;  but  that 
by  faith  I  could  be  kept  up,  looking  to  Jesus. 


IN   SOUTH   AMERICA.  325 

THE  DISCOVERY  OF  A  HIDDEN  KNE.MY. 

However,  I  had  now  constant  trouble  with  my  tem- 
per, and  trouble  with  so  many  other  things.  Those 
came  of  pride  in  the  same  way;  and  evil  thinking,  and 
I  would  pray  and  wrestle  with  God,  and  in  tears  I 
would  cry  out :  "  O  Lord,  Thou  k  no  west  I  do  not 
want  those  things  in  me !  Thou  knowest  I  hate  the 
very  appearance  of  evil  I  I  want  to  be  all  Thine !  I 
want  to  be  holy  and  pure  !  "  From  this  time  I  experi- 
enced such  intense  hungering  and  thirsting  for  more  of 
God,  and  to  be  a  better  Christian,  as  I  termed  it  in  my 
prayers,  that  I  was  almost  constantly  praying ;  and  3*0: 
this  terrible  light  going  on  within  me  all  the  time.  Nc 
one  knew  what  was  going  on  within  me.  My  outward 
life  did  but  show  the  strictest  consistency  with  the 
teachings  of  the  Scriptures.  .  I  carried  my  New  Testa- 
ment about  with  me  to  every  place,  and  if  I  had  but 
one  minute's  time,  I  would  look  into  it,  and  re-ad,  and 
compare  my  own  heart  with  it,  and  as  I  drank  in  every 
word,  the  hunger  for  a  far  different  life  —  a  higher  and 
purer  life,  —  only  increased.  Not  that  I  was  conscious 
of  anything  wrong  that  I  had  done  all  this  time,  since 
I  struck  the  young  man,  either  in  word  or  deed  ;  but 
these  inward  troubles,  these  evil  uprisings,  these  nmv- 
ings  in  my  own  heart,  oh,  they  tormented  me  so  much  I 
Day  and  night  I  was  praying,  and  sometimes  my  heart 


326  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOE 

was  so  full  of  joy  that  I  wept,  and  clapped  my  hands, 
and  praised  God  for  hours  in  my  room ;  and  then  those 
constant  victories  that  I  had  "over  myself,  strengthened 
me  wonderfully ;  for  never  had  the  evil  yet  gotten  the 
upper  hand ;  but  I  had  so  much  grace  given  me  that  I 
could  keep  it  all  down.  Still  there  was  this  gnawing  in 
my  heart  for  something,  I  did  not  know  what,  and  I 
could  not  find  it  out,  except  that  I  felt  bad  when  those 
evils  rose  within  me,  and  I  was  blessed  again  in  a  few 
minutes  after.  Sometimes,  though,  I  would  be  so 
grieved  that  I  wept  for  hours,  and  prayed,  because  I 
seemed  to  be  wrapt  up  entirely  in  self. 

Now,  along  with  all  this,  I  would  sometimes  lie  awake 
upon  my  bed  a  long  time  and  weep  for  joy,  and  clap  my 
hands,  and  meditate  upon  my  blessed  Saviour  and  His 
wonderful  word.  It  seemed  as  though  I  could  then 
penetrate  the  meaning  of  Scripture  better  than  ever, 
and  the  grandest  and  sweetest  Christian  life  would 
loom  up  before  me,  and  I  would  stretch  out  my  hand 
to  God  as  though  trying  to  pull  down  to  me,  with  all 
my  might,  this  something  that  I  wanted  to  make  me 
well-pleasing  in  His  sight.  The  morning  came,  and  it 
was  the  same  again.  This  lasted  for  four  long,  long, 
weary  months.  I  was  happy,  —  but  oh,  I  wanted  some- 
thing ;  and  I  knew  now  that  the  state  of  my  inner  man 
kept  me  from  possessing  God  entirely,  as  I  thought. 
But  then,  I  was  comforted  again  by  hearing  the  testi- 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA.  327 

monies  of  others.  They  seemed  to  be  happy,  too,  and 
lived  a  Christian  life,  and  they  even  sometimes  spoke 
of  these  things  that  so  troubled  me  ;  but  this  was  some- 
thing I  could  not  do.  I  could  not  speak  of  it,  for  when 
I  heard  them  speak  of  these  things,  I  felt  more  ashamed 
and  was  more  sure  that  this  was  wrong  in  me,  and 
I  thought  I  could  never  really  glorify  my  Father.  Then 
grief  intensified,  and  new  struggles  ensued. 

THE  REPRESSION  THEORY.  —  THE  DISAPPOINTMENT. 

But  at  last  I  got  hold  of  something  that  brought  rest 
to  me,  in  a  certain  way  ;  that  is,  I  "  would  not  "  trouble 
so  much  as  I  used  to,  and  bear  as  others  bore ;  and  that 
was  this :  I  seemed  to  gather  from  the  experiences  of 
others,  that  this  way  was  "the  Christian's  warfare."  I 
took  hold  of  this  as  a  drowning  man  would  a  straw.  If 
others,  older  in  experience,  and  so  many  in  number, 
have  the  same  experience,  then  of  course  it  is  this  way 
with  everybody.  The  idea  gave  me  some  comfort,  and 
now  my  mind  was  quite  made  up  to  fight  the  good  fight 
of  faith  —  to  work  out  my  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling—  and.fight,  and  fight,  the  evil  in  me,  till  the  last 
breath  of  life.  By  the  help  of  God,  I  should !  Yes  - 
I  was  determined  to  be  and  remain  a  Christian,  and 
more  so  now  than  ever.  So  this  was,  then,  the  Chris- 
tian warfare,  and  I  settled  down  on  that,  and  sai«l  t«» 
myself,  "  Now,  you  might  have  saved  yourself  a  good 


328  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM  TAYLOR 

deal  of  trouble."  This  was  all  settled  on  an  evening 
when  quite  alone  with  God,  and  my  heart  was  overflow- 
ing with  gratitude  toward  my  Heavenly  Father  for  re- 
vealing to  me  His  wondrous  love,  mercy,  and  longsuf- 
fering.  I  know  the  Lord  had  much  patience  with  me, 
and  the  feeling  of  humility  at  this  time  was  sweet. 

That  night  I  shall  never  forget,  because  in  it  all  my 
new  hopes  had  vanished  away,  and  all  my  old  fears  had 
revived.  The  same  troubles,  the  same  uprisings ;  and 
no  matter  how  strongly  I  would  plead  the  idea  of  the 
"  Christian  warfare,"  my  inner  man  did  not  pay  any  at- 
tention to  it,  and  I  found  that  Christ  did  not  reconcile 
Himself  to  the  sin  within  me.  Everything  would  now 
come  up ;  but  especially  with  the  lust  of  the  flesh  was 
1  troubled,  and  the  enemy  would  trouble  me  in  a  way 
and  with  thoughts  of  things  that  I  never  had  when  ac- 
tually living  in  sin.  I  threw  myself  across  my  bed.  I 
wet  the  pillows  with  my  tears,  and  told  the  Saviour  the 
old  story :  "  Thou  knowest  I  hate  these  things  from  the 
bottom  of  my  inmost  soul.  I  do  not  want  anything 
filthy  in  my  heart.  I  want  Thee,  and  only  Thee,  to 
reign  in  my  soul."  There  was  no  confession  to  outward 
sin,  for  God  kept  me  from  yielding  to  any  temptation ; 
but  I  knew  that  those  things  did  not  arise  from  the  out- 
side. I  knew  only  too  we,  11  they  came  from  within,  and 
I  cried  again  to  God  to  give  me  a  pure  and  holy  heart. 
I  was  well  nigh  worn  out  in  body.  My  strong  crying 


IN   SOUTH  AMERICA. 

upon  my  bed,  and  my  burning  desire  for  more  of  (;,,«! 
to  the  cleansing  of  my  heart,  was  so  intense  that  I 
thought  I  would  be  ill,  and  I  asked  God  in  earnest 
prayer,  and  in  faith,  for  light  and  help. 

Now,  I  had  not  only  testified  for  Jesus  in  jails,  but 
also  spoke  in  the  name  of  Christ  in  the  penitentiary  of 
this  State,  to  the  prisoners  there ;  and  one  day,  after 
leaving  the  chapel,  I  noticed  a  prisoner  walking  up  to 
an  officer  on  guard,  close  by  where  I  stood  talking  with 
him.  The  officer  gave  me  a  sign  to  stop,  and  the 
prisoner  turned  toward  me  and  handed  me  a  little 
pamphlet.  His  eyes  were  full  upon  me,  and  filled  with 
tears.  It  seemed  like  a  dream  to  me.  Before  I  could 
tell  what  I  had  received,  the  prisoner  had  left  me,  for 
he  was  just  permitted  to  give  me  this  paper  after  the 
officer  had  examined  it,  but  was  not  allowed  to  speak 
to  me.  Somehow,  I  felt  it  was  something  for  me,  and 
I  could  hardly  awa4t  the  time  to  see  what  it  contained. 

A  PRISONER  GIVES  ME  THE" GUIDE  TO  HOLINESS." 

Once  more  I  stood  just  over  my  bed,  for  I  had  taken 
no  time  to  sit  down  to  read ;  and  then  with  trembling 
hand,  I  unfolded  the  pamphlet  and  read  the  Guide  to 
Holiness.  I  was  struck  with  the  "Holiness/'  I  had 
not  seen  this  particular  word  in  such  large  letters 
before,  and  I  hastily  turned  over  the  first  leaf,  and  th.-iv 
once  more  I  read  "  Holiness  unto  the  Lord."  So  many 


330  SIX  YEARS   WITH  WILLIAM   TAYLOR 

thoughts  now  crowded  my  mind.  This  book  in  the 
penitentiary  !  Somehow  it  had  found  its  way  there, 
and  then,  those  tearful  eyes,  that  man  in  the  prison- 
yard,  so  full  of  emotion  and  love,  it  seemed.  With  an 
effort  I  drove  away  these  pictures,  and  I  read  part  of 
the  "  Experience  of  Hester  Ann  Rogers,"  and  another 
part  of  Fletcher.  I  had  never  heard  those  names  before, 
and  I  did  not  care  who  they  were  ;  but  what  I  read  there 
thrilled  my  soul,  and  with  trembling  hands  did  I  hold 
that  blessed  little  paper,  and  with  quivering  lips,  and 
with  a  heart  full  to  overflowing,  I  perused  those  lines 
again.  "My  own  experience!"  "My  own  desire!" 
"  My  own  experience ! "  I  could  only  cry  out  again 
and  again.  "  O  my  God ! "  I  cried,  and  completely 
overcome  with  this  wonderful  power  that  flooded  my 
soul,  I  fell  on  the  floor, —  the  book  had  dropped  from 
my  grasp.  I  felt  the  color  of  my  face  change,  and  a 
tremor  ran  through  my  entire  frame  ^  and  then,  stretch- 
ing out  my  arms  to  heaven,  my  eyes  fixed  on  Jesus,  in 
Person,  as  it  seemed,  and  "  O  my  great  Redeemer !  my 
blessed  Jesus ! "  was  all  I  could  say  for  a  time. 

Then  burst  forth  that  long  pent-up  desire  of  my  soul, 
—  the  light  had  come,  and  now  I  lay  drinking,  drinking 
from  the  fountain  of  life.  I  opened  my  soul  to  God, 
and  said,  now,  simply :  "All,  all  is  mine,  blessed  Jesus ! 
I  now  believe !  I  now  believe  Thou  dost  cleanse  me 
from  my  sin !  " 


IN   SOUTU  AMEKICA.  331 

The  lines  that  spoke  concerning  Fletcher,  hud  the 
text  from  John,  "And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Ch:i>t  His 
Son  cleanseth  'me  just  now'  from  all  sin."  It  was 
written  in  that  way,  and  the  words  "me  just  now" 
fastened  themselves  upon  me,  and  thus  I  stood  before 
God.  "  The  blood  just  now  cleanseth  me  from  all  my 
sins." 

A  REAL  INWROUGHT  HOLINESS. 

It  seems  now  as  though  I  cannot  go  on  to  say  more. 
How  can  I  say  more  ? 

I  arose  quietly,  as  though  I  dare  not  disturb  the  so- 
lemnity of  the  moments.     I  felt  as  though  the  room 
was  filled  with  the  angelic  host,  looking  on  in  wonder 
and  amazement  to  behold  the  mighty  work  of  a  cruci- 
fied Redeemer,  whose  name  is  "  Wonderful,  Everlasting 
Father,  Prince  of  Peace."     Scarcely  touching  the  floor 
with  my  feet,  I  walked  slowly  to  and  fro  in  the  room, 
silently  pressing  my  hands  upon  each  other  again  and 
again.     All  was  so  quiet  about  me,  and  heavenly  peace 
seemed  to  reign.     There  was  not  that  same  outward 
nanifestation  of  joy  as  at  the  time  of  my  conversion, 
T)ut  a  peace,  calm  as  a  river,  flowing  deep  down  in  my 
inmost  soul  —  a  peace  that  passed  all  understanding.     I 
/•annot  explain  it,  but  I  knew  it  was  there.     I  possess- 
ed a  real,  inwrought  holiness.     Without  a  sound  scarce- 
ly,  proceeding    from    my  lips,   I   merely  whispered: 
"Glory  to  God!    glory,  glory,  glory!"     Then  I 


332  SIX  YEARS   WITH   WILLIAM   TAYLOR. 

down  upon  my  bed,  intoxicated  with  Divine  love. 
Then  my  physical  man  called  for  his  rights,  and  when 
my  head  touched  the  pillow,  I  fell  asleep,  and  oh,  what 
a  sleep !  like  a  man  who  had  not  beeft  able  to  sleep  for 
weeks,  and  dreaded  the  coming  of  the  night,  but  had 
suddenly  been  healed  and  rested  in  sleep  from  a  long 
and  weary  sickness.  Sweet,  refreshing  sleep. 

Thus  the  peace  of  God  settled  down  into  my  soul, 
and  when  I  awoke  late  in  the  evening,  it  was  there  — 
the  same  blessed,  real  holiness, —  the  love  of  God  made 
perfect  in  my  soul ;  and  as  I  write  down  these  lines,  I 
find  it  is  there  still,  but  deeper,  and  sweeter,  and  more 
precious  than  ever  before.  Wondrous  love !  Won- 
drous keeping  power  of  the  mighty  Christ !  Glory  be 
to  His  dear  name !  To  Him  belongeth  all  the  glory ; 
and  if,  in  reading  these  lines,  a  soul  is  helped,  a  soul  is 
rescued,  a  soul  is  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God  and 
the  power  of  a  holy  life,  then  the  glory  of  God  shall 
shine  but  brighter,  and  next  we  meet  around  the  throne 
in  glory,  to  crown  HIM  Lord  of  all. 


THE  CHKISTIAN  WITNESS 

AND 

ADVOCATE  OF  BIBLE  HOLINESS. 

EDITED  BY 

Eevs.  W.  McDonald,  Joshua  Gill,  and  G.  D.  Watson,  D.D. 


PUBLISHED   TWICE  A  MONTH. 
•1  a  Tear,  postage  Included.    To  Clergymen,  75  cU. 


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world. 

BISHOP  WM.  TAYLOR 

is  one  of  oar  regular  contributors,  and  others  of  his  African 
party  will  keep  our  readers  posted  on  the  great  African  Mission. 
Bishop  Taylor's  Transit  Fund  is  regularly  reported  in  our  col- 
umns. In  fact,  we  intend  that 

The  WITNESS  shall  take  the  lead 

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movement,  while  at  the  same  time,  the  main  idea, 

"TO  SPREAD  SCRIPTURAL  HOUNESS  OVER  THESE  LANDS," 

•hall  be  prosecuted  vigorously. 

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